Season 9-10- Mr Monk And The Beginning
by MonkNotJunk
Summary: It all started as an innocent day at a Children's Pageant...little did Adrian and Natalie realize that it would take them to a place they never expected to be. Part 10 in this 10 Part Series on when Monk and Natalie got together.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note:_

_This story is titled Mr. Monk and the Beginning. Obviously, that is a play off of the last episode of the TV series some 10 years ago, Mr. Monk and the End. Since this is the last story in this particular series I felt like it was appropriate to name it as I did because I look at it as a case of "This is only the Beginning." _

_This series served to remedy what was my only substantial complaint about an otherwise brilliant television program. In 'The End', we did not get the real happy ending that many of us wanted, bringing Monk and Natalie together as a couple_, _ but got the additions of Molly and Stephen, neither of whom made any real emotional connection with the audience and both of whom were disappointing enough to those who watched that here we are 10 years later rewriting the ending._

_Now, Adrian and Natalie are together, they are parents, lovers, friends, and partners in every sense and the real fun can begin.  
_

_Several people have indicated that they would like me to keep writing these stories. Truthfully, it makes me sad to think about not writing Monk Fanfic. But 10 stories (several of which are novel length) since May, is a lot! I will need a bit of a hiatus, before I launch into what I believe will be another series early next year. Think of it as a season of Monk, only, of course, I have ten episodes and not sixteen.  
_

_I've made some good friends along the way and I've truly appreciated all the feedback and encouragement that has come my way. PLEASE continue to review and feel free to private message me as well. It helps me to gauge what is working and what isn't. I may not incorporate everything, but I've shifted gears creatively a few times based upon your feedback - so they truly are OUR stories. _

_Thank you again for everything! Now, on to our story. The first chapter is rather silly, I will admit, but it helps set the stage for what is to come.  
_

* * *

"Adrian, are you coming?" Natalie Monk asked on a bright sunny morning in March 2019.

He did not answer her call, so she walked upstairs to find him where she would often find him ever since a fire destroyed half of their home and it had to be rebuilt.

He was sitting on the floor in the children's playroom wearing blue jeans and a long sleeved collarless shirt, reading to Abby and Lee. He could have sat at several places given the fact that the large room had several seating areas, one in the area for Abigail's music studies and another in Lee's beginner science and math lab; but, Adrian liked to get down at eye level with his children on the scrupulously clean carpet, because he felt that it strengthened their bond with him and helped them to connect happy memories with him as a parent they could love and trust, rather than memories of him as a domineering adult they were to fear - as he had experienced towards his father from a young age.

.

"Adrian! Didn't you hear me calling you? We're going to be late." She said. "Hurry up!"

He stopped reading, held the book with one hand and brushed Abigail's blonde curls away from her blue eyes with his other hand, saying nothing.

"Oh, You're not even dressed!" Natalie said with frustration.

"I don't think I'm going to go." He said, not looking up.

She walked over and took the book right out of his hands. "Yes! You are going to go! These are our friends and it is their daughter's pageant and we already talked about this. Get up and get … oh good grief!" she said, looking at the clock on the wall. "Look at the time! We're going to be late… grab a blazer and let's go!"

"But, I don't wanna go!" he replied, shuffling his feet and putting his hands on his hips as Lee and Abby looked between him and their mother with a look that said '_Daddy's going to be in so much trouble!'_

She folded her arms in front of her. "Look at you! You're a grown man and you're acting like a kindergartner! Heck, you're acting like you're Lee and Abby's age, and they are the adults. Are you two? They act older than you! Stop being a bad example and get moving or… you will suffer a punishment that I know you will not be able to bear!" she replied.

"Punishment? Like what?" he said.

"I was thinking about asking Mom to come stay with us a few days to watch the kids while I did some redecorating in the downstairs study." She replied.

He stuck his jaw out. "That's nothing. We've lived with your mother before." He said, remembering their first days at the house in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

"Yeah, well… you were going to get to sleep on the couch for the entire time she was here and the foreseeable future." She replied.

His look of defiance turned to that of a man beaten. He had grown used to sharing a bedroom with Natalie and knew how awful it felt to not have her beside him every night. She knew it too, and indeed felt it too, but she wasn't going to let him know.

"I'll be down in five minutes…" he said softly, then stiffening his spine and throwing out his jaw…"No! Make that ten!"

"Five!" she said, taking her two toddlers by the hands and leading them out of the room. "And change your shoes! Put on something a little dressier."

"Yes Ma'am!" he said, kicking his foot against the carpet and marching off to the bedroom to grab a blazer.

* * *

The "Pageant" that they were going to was actually an _Einstein Kids_ convention where children from ages four through ten were able to showcase various talents and skills that they had acquired and have the opportunity to win money that could be applied towards their future education.

Randy and Sharona Disher had entered their daughter Ophelia in the 'beauty pageant' portion of the event, where she would come out on stage in full pageant costume and perform a specific talent. Her talent was a poem recitation. At six years of age, this wasn't the first such event she had been to. In fact, it was becoming a regular pastime for the Disher family who took her competing very seriously.

As close friends, the Monks and Stottlemeyers had attended a few such events in the past, and the _Einstein Kids_ convention was one of the biggest. On the line was a $10,000 award for best in category and a $50,000 award for best of show.

Ophelia, with her long curly blonde locks, took after her mother in both looks and attitude, so she actually seemed to enjoy 'strutting her stuff' before the crowd. She had won a few contests in the past, and rarely took less than second overall. Randy and Sharona were thus proud of their little girl and loved the event. But, Adrian didn't like it since such events tended to put undue pressure on the children involved and the kids in events like Ophie's were often marched out in very heavy makeup which reminded him of some of the seedier aspects of his early police work.

* * *

As they entered the building, Monk observed how the hall had been subdivided into various sections marking areas of emphasis. At the end of the hall was the grand stage which would not be used until late in the day. In front of it on the left and right were areas for artistic talent, academic ability, sports, and invention. The area that they were to sit at was in the artistic talent section where Sharona and Randy had gotten tickets for the whole gang in the second row.

As they took their seats, Adrian held Lee and Natalie held Abby as they sat in between the Dishers and the Stottlemeyers.

Sharona leaned over Randy's lap to talk to Natalie and said "I'm glad you made it. I was beginning to get worried."

Natalie replied. "I'm glad we got here too. _Someone_ was dragging his feet on getting ready because he would rather sit in the floor with his kids and read books."

Sharona rolled her eyes. "Some things never change."

Adrian sat to the left of Leland and T.K. who appeared perfectly happy being at the event, but whom Adrian suspected were just patronizing the Dishers and he felt they were.

Leaning over to Leland he said, "Please tell me you don't' enjoy these things."

Leland smirked and gave Monk a side eye. "Why of course I do. Why would you say such a thing?"

T.K laid her head on Leland's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, looking straight ahead. Adrian looked over at T.K. and then at Sharona and Natalie who were discussing the new additions to the Monk house.

"It's a conspiracy of the women!" he said, under his breath.

Hearing him, Natalie didn't skip a beat in her conversation with Sharona, "Of course Adrian is partial to the living room. He just loves _that leather couch_. Isn't that right, honey?" she said looking over at him.

He twitched his neck and then put on a plastic smile. "Yes, sweetheart. Anything you say."

Just then, the pageant director came on stage to announce that the event would begin.

For the next 45 minutes the couples watched child after child come out on stage performing for and being coached by their rather involved parents. Some of the children were very good at what they were doing, and some were only good in their parents' estimation. Also, one could easily tell which children were new at the effort and which ones had experience. Such was the case of Ophelia who strutted out on stage with confidence and a huge smile that could easily qualify her to be a child model.

"And now, Miss Ophelia Disher is here to perform a short recitation of a composition I'm sure many have heard before. _There Was An Old Lady_." said contest announcer, Belinda Parsons.

"Oh! Here she is! Come on Ophie! Show 'em whatcha got girl!" Sharona said, bouncing up and down in her seat as Randy beamed with pride at his little girl on the stage.

Natalie sat poised with a smile on her face and Adrian sat up, trying to will himself to 'get' what the big deal was all about.

Ophelia smiled with her hands clasped before her and then became more animated as she spoke, dramatically acting out with hands and gestures the words of the old children's poem.

_There was an old lady who swallowed a fly;_

_I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die!_

_There was an old lady who swallowed a spider;_

_That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!_

_She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;_

_I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!_

As she began her story, Adrian at first got a disgusted look on his face, but remained still. But, with each new line, he suddenly became more and more uncomfortable, twitching and shifting in his seat as he imagined what it would be like to swallow a fly, a spider, a bird, a dog…

"Why doesn't she have someone tape her mouth shut at night?" he leaned over and whispered to Natalie who shushed him.

He continued to squirm in his seat as he imagined, with Ophelia's animated help, all the germs and filth and just the logistic of actually swallowing something that big, it was almost more than he could stand.

_There was an old lady who swallowed a goat;_

_She just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!_

_She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,_

_She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,_

_She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,_

_She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;_

As Ophelia continued, in the background, he leaned over to Natalie.

"Sweetheart, I think I need to get up and take Lee and Abby for a walk." He said.

"Now?" she whispered with some irritation. "Ophie is almost done. Can't you wait?"

"Well..it's like this…I think maybe this content might be a little too violent for their young ears." He replied.

She turned her eyes towards him and gave him her best and harshest glare him to utterly wilt in her presence.

_She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;_

_I don't know why she swallowed a fly...  
_

"Or maybe not. We can wait." He stated, lowering his head and burying his chin in Baby Leland's curly locks.

.

When at last the hour was up and all of the pageant contestants had gone through their routines, Ms. Parsons came forward to announce the winner.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Parents. We would like to thank you so much for your participation in this year's show. Your children are all so very precious and rarely has there been such talent assembled on one stage. As far as I'm concerned, they're all winners!" she said.

"We won! We won!" one parent said standing up and grabbing onto her husband, who promptly took her by the arm and jerked her back down into her seat.

"But…we can only have one winner!" Parsons stated, "And that winner will be announced here today. May I have the following children come forward please?"

"Danny Solomon... Brittany Baldridge... Sarah Piedmont…" she said, as Randy and Sharona sat on the edge of their chairs, his arm around her shoulders.

"Ophelia Disher…"

"Oh! Ophie!" they said jumping up and down and pulling in even tighter together.

Sharona sat back and took Randy's left hand with her right, prompting him to look over and take Natalie's left hand with his right. He then nodded at her as if she instructed to carry on the chain and do the same with Adrian. She took Adrian's hand, but rather than take Lelands, he leaned forward looking at Disher holding his wife's hand, and he did NOT like it one bit.

As the announcer went through the remaining names, he had entirely tuned everything else out other than the jealousy that he felt over his wife at that very moment.

Yes, it was true, Randy had Sharona and they were a good couple; but, Monk had always suspected that Randy had a crush on Natalie, ever since the day that Disher suggested out of nowhere that she was 'in love with him'. Adrian and Natalie had come to announce to him that Leland was dating a murderess and Natalie most certainly NOT in love with Randy and got a little offended by the suggestion. Now, years later, the longer they held hands, the more irrational anger Adrian began to feel, and the more he wanted to actually hit Randy right there in the hall.

His thoughts of violent assault were suddenly interrupted when the announcer stated "And the winner of the 2019 _Einstein Kids_ Pageant, $10,000 and a chance to win tonight in our $50,000 dollar contest is…."

Adrian looked blankly at the stage, still holding Natalie's hand but thinking of rearranging Randy's face.

"Ophelia Disher!" the announcer stated causing Randy and Sharona to jump up from their chairs and hug and kiss one another. In quick succession, Randy turned to Natalie, and reached forward to give her a great big hug.

Adrian's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared as he held firmly to Natalie's hand, drawing her towards himself and then switched places with her.

Confused, Natalie asked "What are you doing?"

He did not answer, but looked Randy eye to eye and spoke in a low and steady tone. "Just go ahead and celebrate with _your_ wife, Randy. I will celebrate with _mine_!"

Sharona rolled her eyes and grabbed Randy's hand taking him to go see their daughter who had just been crowned.

Adrian turned back to Natalie and looked down at her through the bottoms of his eyes. His face was red and full of suspicion.

She sighed, turned to Leland and asked if he and T.K. could take the babies, and then she grabbed Adrian by the earlobe and pulled him to the side.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked tersely.

"Nothing." He replied, rubbing his ear.

"Don't tell me nothing! You've been acting so weird all afternoon! What's your problem?" She asked.

Adrian kept his mouth clamped shut, but then betrayed himself by looking over at Disher.

Natalie looked at Randy and then at Adrian and began to laugh.

"You're jealous?" she asked.

He said nothing but looked to the side.

She poked him in the rib and repeated. "You're jealous of Randy Disher! I can't believe you! What in the world?"

"He was holding your hand!" Adrian replied.

"Yeah? So? He was excited." She answered.

"He can stay excited with his own wife and leave mine alone." he snapped, and then pouted.

Natalie burst out laughing and then buried her head in Adrian's lapel.

Wrapping her arms around his neck she looked at him with eyes that glistened in love.

"Adrian Monk! I can't believe you! We've been married for how many years and you're going get all jealous on me? Honey. You should know by now that I only have eyes for you." She said, as he continued glaring at Randy and Sharona.

"Adrian. Look at me." She said, grabbing his jaw and causing him to face her. "Honey, Randy is our friend, but frankly…and don't repeat this...he's a bit of a dork. Not at all my type. In fact. You've ruined it for me. I have no type but the man I married." she said, rubbing his arms and drawing her body closely to his. "Darling. You have NOTHING to worry about. Trust me. You're the ONLY man for me and I wouldn't trade you for a zillion Dishers!" she said.

Adrian smiled and then thought through how he had been acting. He bent down and gave her a kiss on the mouth. "I love you."

"And I love you, my handsome prince. I can't believe you'd be jealous of Randy! Good grief!" she said, taking him by the arm and walking him towards the Stottlemeyers. "I feel nothing but friendship for him."

"I believe you." Adrian said. "But just for the record, you sit between me and Leland next time. He doesn't get to hold your hand anymore."

"If it makes you feel better. Okay. I will sit wherever you want." She said.

"How about in the living room at the house?" he asked.

"Except there... Nice try." She replied.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, she's ready for the finals!" Sharona Disher told the group, having come back from the registration booth where she verified that Ophelia's paperwork was in order. The last thing she wanted to happen was for Ophie to be disqualified based on some technicality. She was only six years old, but fifty grand would go a long way towards Ophelia's college education.

"Great! We can get started!" Adrian said. "Let's get the show on the road! We don't have all day!" he said, looking around trying to rally others to gather together. People just stared at him strangely, with some parents even pulling their children away from him.

Natalie walked over to him and said softly. "Behave! It's two hours until showtime. You can be patient."

"Yeah, man. Just chill out." Randy stated, chewing on some gum and rocking on his heels.

"You _chill out_, Disher!" Adrian replied.

Natalie rolled her eyes and walked over to him. "_Here we go again_", she thought.

"Alright, alright… Adrian, dear. Come with me!" Natalie stated, pulling her glaring husband over to the side.

Knowing another lecture was useless, she reached into her purse and pulled out a ten dollar bill.

"Here. I think you need a little time to cool off. Go over to the concession stand and get us some water. I'm thirsty." She said.

He looked at Randy and then looked at her. "Alright." He said in a disgruntled tone, before walking away with a very studious Lee resting on his hip.

She watched him leave and then returned to their friends shaking her head. As Leland and Randy went to inspect some of the structure of the stage, Sharona looked at Adrian and then at Natalie and asked. "What's with him?"

She sighed. "Oh, nothing. He's fine."

"He doesn't act fine." T.K. responded.

Natalie looked back to make sure that he wasn't within ear shot and then let the ladies know. "Truth is, he got an offer for Seniors insurance in the mail today and I think it suddenly struck him that he's getting closer to sixty. He's been acting weird ever since. We got into a mini-tiff this morning over whether or not he was coming to Ophelia's pageant." She said.

"He didn't have to come. It would have been okay." Sharona said.

"Oh no! Can't let him stay home and sulk. I knew I needed to get him out of the house or I would have some real trouble the rest of the week….Oh! And then…you'll never guess what happened?" she said with a snicker.

"What?" asked Sharona.

Natalie giggled. "You know when the announcer was about to announce Ophelia's name, and you, me and Randy clasped hands?"

"Yeah?" Sharona responded.

"Well…he suddenly got jealous of me and Randy!" she said.

"What?!" Sharona laughed, as Leland and Randy walked up behind her. "Adrian got jealous when Randy held your hand?"

Randy's mouth opened in disbelief. "Monk is jealous of me and _you_?" he asked.

Natalie closed her eyes and used her hands to try to tell Randy to be quiet.

"Shhhhhh!" she said. "You mustn't let on that you know! My life will not be a happy one if he finds out that we had this conversation."

Randy straightened up. "Okay, baby." He said with a wink. "It's our dirty little secret."

"Randy!" Sharona said, ribbing him in the side.

Leland just smirked. "Some things never change." He said.

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked.

"What I mean is that I think Monk always went to great lengths to pretend that he didn't look at you in a romantic manner. But, I remember a few times where it was clear, to me at least, that he did – and that he was jealous of the attention that some of your gentlemen friends paid to you."he replied.

"Like who?" she asked, surprised.

"Like that guy who got shot in the hand when Monk went undercover at that office." Leland replied.

"Warren Kemp?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah, that's the guy." Leland replied. "You know he called me that afternoon to update me on the fact that he was going undercover. Told me all about how the conversation with Kemp went and I could tell, just by the tone in his voice, he wasn't too happy about how friendly you and this guy were."

Natalie blushed. "I thought he wasn't happy with Warren referring to me as the detective instead of him."

"Oh no. I know Monk, and he was _definitely_ jealous." Leland replied.

"He had no reason to be." Natalie said.

"Nor does he this time." Randy said. "Although…" he continued, sticking his chest out and striking a pose, "I can see where he would make that mistake…ain't that right Shar?"

Sharona rolled her eyes. "Yeah. My husband. The stud muffin."

* * *

At the concession stand, things were not going much better for Adrian. He had finally gotten to the window and was faced with several choices of bottled water.

"May I help you?" the young female clerk said, looking at him with a somewhat bored expression.

"Uh, yeah." He replied. "I uh…I would like two bottles of water."

"Which kind?" she asked.

"Excuse me?" he replied.

"What kinda water you want? We've got Evian, Perrier, Pellegrino, Dasani and Fiji." She answered.

He swallowed and looked again at the menu board. "Um…do you…do you have any Summit Creek?" he asked.

"No sir. Evian, Perrier, Pellegrino, Dasani, and Fiji." She replied.

A line of people began to pile up behind him as he struggled to choose. "Umm…"

"Sir, there is a line." She stated.

Looking in back of him, he saw three pageant couples crossing their arms and staring at him. He turned back to her.

"You see…it's like this…um…" he said.

"Sir, you have to choose." She replied.

"Can you…can you choose for me?" he asked.

She looked at him and smiled, shaking her head. "Fizzy or straight?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Nevermind. You look like a plain water kinda guy. I think you'll like the Fiji." She answered.

Adrian just cluelessly shook his head yes, and then was forced to look at Lee when the toddler stuck his finger in Monk's mouth. Monk flinched.

"Oh…Leland! No!" he said, taking the laughing baby's hand and moving it away from his face.

Lee continued to giggle, causing Adrian to relax. "You liked that, didn't you?" he asked, giving the little boy an eskimo kiss with his nose.

"You a funny bunny!" Lee replied, causing Adrian to laugh.

The clerk returned with two bottles of Fiji water and handed them to him. "That'll be four dollars." She replied.

Adrian got serious and handed her the ten.

"Six dollars is your change, sir." She replied, with a smile towards Lee who was now flirting with her. "Your grandson is very cute." She said.

Adrian's smile faded as he looked at her with wounded feelings. "Um. Thank you. He's …he's my son." He replied.

She looked at Adrian and then at Lee. "You go, guy! I can see the resemblance!" she responded.

"Thanks." Adrian said, taking the change, and water ,and slowly returning to the group.

* * *

By the time he got back to Natalie, the group was deep in a conversation about Leland's sons and their jobs. Adrian handed Natalie a bottle of water, but when she tried to open it, it wouldn't budge.

"I'll get that for you, Natalie." Randy said, taking the water.

Adrian snatched the water back out of Randy's hand and said to him coldly. "_I'll_ get it for her."

As Leland tried to keep the conversation going, they all watched out of the corner of their eyes as Adrian also struggled to get the water open.

"Here, can you hold Lee?" he asked Natalie, who was stuck between tolerating his awkward machismo and holding in a belly laugh that she knew she did not dare let out. She took her son, and then watched Adrian's face turn red as he tried with all his might, even to the point of leveraging the edge of a display table to help him with the task, to open the bottle. Out of breath, he reached in his pocket for the other bottle.

"Maybe we'll have better luck with this one." He said, breathlessly, laying the original on the edge of the table.

Randy walked forward and picked up the original bottle. "Allow me. Wouldn't want you to get a hernia." He said, opening the bottle with ease, and then winking at Natalie as reached forward to hand he the open bottle. She set Lee down on the ground and took a drink. "Thank you." She said with a smile.

Adrian adjusted his neck, glaring at Randy, and then proceeded to go into a deep pout. She looked at him, and looped her arm through his, leaning over to whisper in his ear "Don't worry about it. Randy's hands are rough. You just didn't get a good grip." She said, kissing him on the cheekbone.

Adrian gave a brief smile but felt utterly humiliated by his weakness.

For the next hour and a half, the couples made their way through the convention center, looking at the displays and occasionally watching some child perform. Then they made their way to the academic department, they were amazed when 2-year-old Leland walked over to the chalk board and picked up a piece of chalk and began to solve a math problem.

Natalie beamed as she spoke out loud each step her son was doing. "Six times two is twelve, carry your 1…Two times four plus 1….96!"

The Dishers and Stottlemeyers were impressed.

"How old is he?" asked T.K.

"He is two." Natalie replied.

"Amazing!" T.K. said.

The action did not go unnoticed by a very young news reporter standing by.

"Ma'am... sir... is this your son?" she asked, with pen and paper in hand.

"Yes" Natalie said smiling.

"And he's how old?" the woman asked.

"Two. He just turned two." She replied.

Looking at his name tag, the young woman said, "His name is Leland, is that Monk?" she asked.

"Yes, we call him Lee." she confirmed.

The questioning made Adrian somewhat uncomfortable, mainly because he preferred their privacy, but he could see that Natalie was having fun, so he didn't mention it.

"Has he always been like this?" the woman asked.

"Yes. From birth. He takes after his Daddy. My husband, Adrian." She said, squeezing his arm and pulling him forward ever so slightly. "Lee's pediatrician says he as an eidetic memory, just like Adrian does. Show him anything, be it numbers, words, whatever, he is very likely to reproduce it."

"Wow! That is freaky cool! And, is he in one of the contests here?" the reporter asked.

Adrian stepped forward, taking issue with the word "freaky" in reference to Leland, but remaining calm.

"No Ma'am. Even though Leland is very smart, he's still just a baby. I know what it is like to be considered 'freaky' smart. It's not as fun as it sounds. We want our son to have as normal of a childhood as possible, so we won't be enrolling him in these kind of contests." He replied.

"Oh. I see. I get it!" the reporter said, with a smile. "Is the little girl yours too?"

"Yes. This is Abigail." Natalie responded.

"Do you all mind if I get a little picture of the four of you for our paper?" she asked.

Natalie looked a little uncomfortably back towards Adrian.

"Well…yeah. I guess so. "she said. "Is it okay?" she asked Adrian.

He looked at Natalie's expression and felt like his reaction may have caused her a little discomfort as well, so he decided to lighten the load a bit and allowed the photo to be snapped.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Monk." The reporter said, gleefully walking away towards the invention section.

* * *

Sharona walked up to Adrian and Natalie. "Good job there. That lady is from the Boston Globe. Good to be on her good side. I know it made you a little nervous. But, good job."

Adrian nodded. "Thanks."

"You know, these things aren't just about the show. There's good money to be had on this circuit. College recruiters send agents out here all the time to scout out academic talent." She continued.

"Well, Lee and Abby are a long ways from college." Adrian said. "Besides, when the time comes, we can afford to send them wherever they want to go."

The comment was not meant as a brag, nor was it taken that way.

"I know. You guys are doing very well. But, why pay for it when you can get someone else to pay for it?" she replied.

Adrian scrunched his face. "That's okay. I don't mind paying for whatever my wife and children need. What's money when you can live out your dreams right here and now." He said, leaning over and kissing Natalie on the top of the head. "Right, sweetheart?" he asked.

She looked up at him and smiled. "You've got it babe." She said, giving him a peck on the cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

On Monday morning, Randy Disher came into the office, with a sense of excitement in his eyes, holding six copies of the Boston Gazette. As he passed the newspaper around, he repeated proudly, "Page B-14".

Walking into Monk's office threw a copy down on Adrian' desk.

Things had remained tense between Adrian and Randy throughout the rest of the weekend, largely carried forward by Randy's propensity to joke at Monk's expense, couple with Monk's current inability to take a joke. The fact that Adrian was soon to be 60 years old had hit him square between the eyes and this was a particular milestone that he was not taking well. Randy picked up on this fact, and in an ill-advised move, decided to make the most of it. He poked at Adrian and made 'old man' cracks for the next two days. Now, back in the office, the two men were barely speaking – Adrian sitting around with a rather large chip on his shoulder, and Randy thinking Monk was just being his normal crazy self.

"Page B-14." Disher stated, as he stood by the desk.

Adrian looked up over his reading glasses from a file he had been studying, and then taking a handkerchief accepted the newspaper from Randy's hand. "What?" he asked, with a look that was a mixture of confusion and annoyance upon his face.

Disher leaned forward and cupped his hands around his mouth…"PAGE BEEEE FOUURRRTEEEN." He shouted.

Adrian gritted his teeth. "I heard you, Randy. What is on page B-14 that merits interrupting me working on this case?"

Disher took one of the copies in his own hand and opened it to B-14. Holding it before Adrian, he announced, "Ophelia. Her picture made it in the paper from the Pageant."

Adrian looked at the paper that Randy held. "Ah. Congratulations. You must be proud." He said, folding the paper up from own his hands without looking, and going back to his work.

"I am! She's such a beauty. Of course, I guess you're not interested. Gotta keep working those brain cells. You use them or lose them at your age." Randy said.

Adrian kept looking at his file knowing that his internal temperature was beginning to rise again, and remembering Natalie's words to not let Disher get under his skin.

Randy continued to stand there, just watching Monk.

Adrian took off his reading glasses and looked up. "Is there anything else you need, Randy?" he asked.

"No. I'm fine. I'm just surprised that you weren't interested in what was on page B-13." Disher responded.

"And what was that?" Adrian asked.

"Hey. If you aren't going to make the effort. I'm not going to tell you." He responded.

Adrian put his glasses back on and looked back down at his papers. "Fine. I'm not playing games, Randy. As you can see, I'm busy. Please shut the door on your way out."

Randy crossed his arms in front of him and looked around. "Okay. That's fine. I'll just be leaving. You can read their article on the child prodigy, Leland Monk, whenever you get time." He said.

Adrian stopped, and looked up at Randy, over the top of his glasses. "They wrote about Lee?" he asked.

"Yeah. He got more print than Ophelia. Figured you would want to see it." Randy responded.

Adrian set down his file and picked up the newspaper. Turning to B-13 he saw a photograph of himself, Natalie and the twins coupled with an article on the two-year-old boy genius who was already doing two digit multiplication and who had an eidetic memory. A quite grin came over his face, but he said nothing other than, "That boy."

Folding the paper neatly, he looked up at Randy. "Thank you for sharing this. He's off to quite a good start. I wasn't doing that sort of thing until I was three…Already making his mark in the city of Boston."

"Oh, this isn't Boston only. It's syndicated. This article went around the world." Randy stated.

"International?" Adrian asked, amazed.

"Yeah. Best publicity ever. Don't be surprised if you don't have schools knocking on your door soon wanting to enroll him. That's how a lot of these things work." Randy replied.

Adrian shook his head. "No. No schools at this age. My children are going to grow up at home where they can play and laugh and just be silly for a while. There will be time enough for academics later."

Randy nodded. "Sounds good. I'll let you get back to work. We're still on for dinner tonight right?" he asked.

Adrian closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes. Celebration of closing the Diana Lange case."

"Cool. We'll be there at 7 sharp." Randy replied. "Now, if you will excuse me, I've gotta go show this to Leland. Can't wait to see his reaction." He said, walking away from the office.

"I'm sure he'll be overwhelmed." Adrian said under his breath as he got back to his paperwork.

* * *

In a country half-way around the world, a man sat at a telephone conversing with a caller from the States.

"Yeah. Yeah. I had Joseph go get a copy. What is it that you want for me to see?"

_"Middle of Section B. The Einstein Kids."_ the voice said.

Turning through the paper, the man came to the section. "Yes. Yes, I see it." He replied. "What's this about?"

_"Oh. Nothing much. I just figured that you might find an interesting addition to your little…er…project somewhere in that section." _the voice responded.

"Which one? I see several photos of children?" the man said. "The girl? O-Ophelia?"

"_Ophelia Disher. Quite the little ham. But, no. Not her. Opposite page." _ The voice responded.

"The Child Prodigy? Leland Monk?" the man asked.

_"Exactly."_ Was the response.

"Too young. You know we only go for children five and older." He said.

_"Oh…but think about it, Castillo. This one is young enough, you can easily shape him into being whatever you need to be. This may be the golden child you have been looking for. " _the voice responded.

The man thought. "We really aren't equipped to have a toddler around here."

_"This is not just a toddler. This is the toddler of Adrian Monk. Former Associate Director of the FBI. World renowned as a genius. It sounds like the kid may even outshine his father."_ said the voice.

"So, you want me to pull off a high-profile kidnapping?" he asked.

_"I would be willing to finance the whole thing."_ The voice responded.

"You know this would be quite dangerous to our operations. If we were exposed…" Castillo said.

_"We won't be. Nobody knows who you are or where you are. How many children have you taken in the past? Twenty, thirty?"_ the voice asked.

"Sixty eight, counting the defector." Castillo said. "And we're still worried about her."

_"Still haven't found her?"_ the voice asked.

"No. Though I doubt she will bother to surface. She's been gone five years and knows that we would just have to shut her up if she ever said a peep." He answered. "I'll tell you what. I'll send my operatives into Boston and try to find out where they can find this Monk kid. If we can get him, we will. But…you'll have to provide all of the funding for the transport out of the country."

_"Done."_ The voice responded, with a chuckle. _"Oh, the irony. You'll have all you need wired to you by the end of the week."_

* * *

That evening, in the Monk home, the Monks, Dishers and Stottlemeyers were delighted by a gourmet dinner made especially for them by Natalie. Their table was sumptuously decorated by a beautifully frenched crown roast surrounded by root vegetables, fresh garden greens, and homemade stuffing. In spite of a little tension that still existed between Adrian and Randy, the evening went relatively well. Everyone was laughing and having a good time and it seemed as if the interpersonal storm would pass. That is until Sharona got a headache.

Randy recognized the look on her face, though she was trying to hide it, and leaned forward asking her quietly if she was feeling okay.

"I'm okay. Just feel a migraine coming on." She said. "Don't let on. I don't want to detract from everyone's fun."

Randy kissed her on the head and whispered, "I'm going to go see if I can find some aspirin."

Sharona nodded.

Standing up, "Um…nature calls. I'll be back" – a statement that was largely ignored by the other couples.

* * *

"You two amaze me!" said T.K.

"How's that?" asked Natalie.

"Well, here you are, both over 40, raising two genius kids, working full time in a detective agency, and tonight you still have the strength to entertain and make a crown roast! Amazing!" T.K. responded.

"A very delicious roast, too." Leland added.

Natalie smiled. "Awe. Thank you. I'm so glad you liked it."

"How do you do it? What's your secret?" T.K. asked.

At this point, Randy came back in the room and slipped Sharona a couple of aspirins which she quickly downed with some water. He looked like the bird that had caught the canary.

"Our secret? Well, I'd have to say that it's because we share the burden. We're partners. While I was making the roast, Adrian watched the kids until Mom came over and picked them up for tonight. Teamwork. Wouldn't you say so?" she asked Adrian.

Adrian smiled. "Yes. I would agree with that. Plus…I may be edging up on 60, but Natalie never makes me feel old." he said, taking her hand.

"You don't act old." She replied.

"Are you sure you don't have any help?" Randy asked.

Adrian stopped and looked at him. "Help?…we just said we have a lot of help. Peggy and Bobby are watching the kids tonight."

"Not the kind of help I'm talking about." Randy replied.

"What kind of help were you talking about?" Natalie asked.

Randy picked up a glass of wine he had been drinking from and took a swig. Looking straight ahead he answered. "Um…chemical help."

Adrian and Natalie looked at one another confused and then looked back at Randy.

"What?!" they both said in unison.

"What chemical help?" Adrian asked, perplexed.

Randy looked Adrian earnestly in the eyes and put one hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, man." He said, shaking his hand. "I understand now. Why you've been so edgy. Why you just haven't seemed yourself. It happens to the best of us."

Adrian looked over at Natalie and then Leland. "What is he talking about?"

Leland shook his head with a smirk, "I have no earthly idea, but I have a feeling we're soon to find out."

Looking back at Randy, Adrian said,"Randy. You've lost me. What chemical help?"

Randy shook his head and put on the most empathetic face. "The chemical help…in the bathroom." he said, with a wink and a nudge nudge of his arm.

"How much have you been drinking? I don't have the foggiest idea." Adrian replied.

"Adrian. I haven't been drinking that much. Sharona didn't want to spoil your guys evening, but she's getting a headache, so I went to your bathroom to find some aspirin. I…I found your pill box. And…I just want you to know…"

"My pill box?" Adrian asked perplexed - looking around the room with a shrug.

"I just want you to know… I don't think of you as any less of a man." Randy interrupted.

"What?!" Adrian asked, as Natalie looked around confused mouthing "pill box?"

"Your pill box. I saw it. You know…the 'little blue pill;?" Randy said, making quotation marks with his fingers and then returning his hand to Adrian's shoulder.

"Little blue…what?" Adrian asked, as an aghast Natalie tried to think what Randy could be referring to.

"Little blue pill…you know, for…E...D…." he stated.

"Randy!" Sharona exclaimed. "Oh, Natalie, Adrian... I'm so sorry!"

"Shar…you said I should try to be supportive…" Randy replied as Sharona jerking him beside her by the arm.

"Not like this! Good heavens!" she said, looking up at the ceiling.

"What's E.D.?" Adrian asked.

Leland raised one eyebrow as he watched the scene with amusement.

Before anyone could answer, Natalie said to Adrian,"Don't ask. Just…don't ask. Promise me you won't!"

"But…Nat… I need to know." he said, as her hand went over his mouth.

"Fine!" she said.

She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, as all eyes watched his reaction. His eyes grew wide and his face turned flush.

"WHAT!?" Monk exclaimed. "What are you trying to say about me, Disher?" He said, jumping up from his seat and lunging at Randy.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to the best of us!...or...so I've heard...from stories...from other people...not me..." Randy replied, ducking behind Sharona, who stiffened and looked down at the ground raising one corner of her mouth.

"Get your heinie over here and I'll give you something to be ashamed of!" Adrian said pointing towards Randy, as Natalie stood in front of him blocking him from going forward. Leland jumped up from the couch and gently coaxed Monk to sit back down in his chair.

With that, Natalie had reached the end of her patience between her husband's foul mood and Randy's continually antagonism towards him.

"STOP! Nobody say another thing!" she said. "Wait here!"

"Where are…?" Randy began.

"NOT..A…PEEP. QUIET! I'll be right back." She said, walking back towards the bathroom.

As Adrian and Randy threw one another dirty looks, she came back into the room shaking her head and holding a seven-compartment pill box, the kind with the days of the week written on it.

"Is this the pill box you are referring to?" she asked.

"Yeah." Randy confirmed. "That's it."

"Randall Disher. This belongs to me!" she stated.

"You? Yeah, right. And the little blue pills?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "They are Zantac, you moron! I used them to avoid heartburn when I was carrying the twins!" she said, throwing the pill box at him and walking over to calm her irritated husband down.

"Heartburn?" Randy asked as Sharona rolled her eyes.

"Now see?" Sharona asked. "You need to apologize to them."

"Oh. Uh, well…sorry…I just figured, he's getting older and…" Randy replied.

Adrian stiffened, ready to join in the battle again.

"You figured wrong." Natalie said, putting both of her hands on his shoulders. "Adrian is as virile as a 25-year-old. No problems there!" she said.

"Oh, for the love of crackers! Can we change the subject please?!" Adrian exclaimed, suddenly feeling very self-conscious at the thought of what everyone was speculating on.

The entire room suddenly froze in motion, each person looking at the other. Then, in unison, they all burst out laughing until they cried…including Adrian who rubbed his forehead while shaking his head in an amused disbelief.

It was one thing to be poked fun of, particularly concerning such a sensitive subject, but all the anger washed away when he considered that his wife compare him to someone half his age. He suddenly felt as proud as a crowing rooster. He couldn't even stay mad at Randy. It was true, sometimes, Disher was just an idiot. But, he was their idiot and that evening he was reminded of how in spite of the aggravation, he really was glad to have friends like him around – just to make it interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well thank you all so much for coming!" Natalie Monk said as the Dishers and Stottlemeyers each headed towards the door, ready to call it an evening.

"Absolutely! We should do this again sometime!" Randy said.

"I agree." Natalie answered.

"As a matter of fact…how does next Saturday afternoon sound?" Randy continued.

Natalie and Adrian looked at one another then back at Randy.

"What's happening Saturday afternoon?" Adrian asked.

"We're having a party for Ophelia. A celebration for her winning the pageant. We're inviting all her kid friends." Sharona said.

"Come on over! You can bring Lee and Abby!" Randy suggested.

Natalie was certain that Adrian would say no, but he surprised her.

"That sounds wonderful!" he replied.

"It does?" Natalie asked.

"Why yes, sweetheart. It's very important that they have a chance to interact with other children." He responded.

Natalie shook her head in agreement with his reasoning, though she was still a little surprised that he came up with it.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Monk…thank you for everything." Leland said, opening the door for their exit. "See you tomorrow?"

The couple nodded.

"Yes, thank you again for being such gracious hosts." Said T.K.

"Yes. We had a wonderful time." Sharona echoed.

"I hope you feel better." Natalie replied.

"Oh. It's nothing. Just hormonal. Happens ever now and then." Sharona answered.

"Sleep! Getting a good night's sleep. That should help." Adrian suggested.

Sharona smiled at Adrian's turn around in demeanor but downplayed it. "Yeah. That helps too. Thanks Adrian. And…" she whispered, "Sorry again about…you know…Randy…."

Adrian grinned and placed his hand around Natalie's waist. "Don't' mention it." He replied. "Really. It's fine."

* * *

As they watched the last car leave the driveway, Natalie turned to Adrian and smiled at him.

"What?" he asked, with curiosity.

"No…you…what?" she asked.

"Me, what?" he replied.

Looping her arm through his, she walked him back towards the living room.

"Don't we want to clean up a little first?" he asked.

Looking at a stack of dirty pans in the kitchen sink that she knew that he had likely been itching to take care of, Natalie turned toward the right and said "Sure. We can talk and work at the same time."

As Adrian removed a fresh pair of dishwashing gloves from their plastic bag, Natalie emptied the few dishes that were left in the dishwasher. It was a ritual in the Monk household to both hand wash and send dishes through the dishwasher because if one got dishes clean, the other made them extra clean and sterilized them as well.

"So… what did you want to talk about?" Adrian asked, filling the sink with soapy water.

"You." She replied.

"Me? Well that's boring." He replied.

She rolled her eyes. "The turn about in your attitude from the beginning of the evening until the ending. What happened?"

He smiled. "My wife happened, that's what." He replied.

"Me? What did I do?" she said.

"You took care of me. You stood up for me when Disher was…well, when he was trying to say…you know." Adrian replied.

"Well, I had watched him pick on you all week. I couldn't just let him continue. That was mean what he did." She said.

"I don't really think he meant anything by it, but when you stood up for me and lied and said I have the energy of a 25 year old…" Adrian responded.

"I didn't lie. You do!" she replied.

He shook his head and continued. "When you stood up for me, I realized that I've been acting like a bit of a baby. I mean, it's not like we haven't talked about this before. I'm an older father, and will always be older than the average dad out there. But, I'm still a father, and as long as I'm able…"

"Adrian, you're in great shape! Seriously! And you are an awesome dad. And an awesome and sexy husband." She replied.

"Sexy?" he grinned, mischievously.

"Yes. And debonair and dashing and swoon inducing…" she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

He looked at her and became very serious.

"What? What's the matter?" she asked.

"Nothing… You may continue..." He replied.

Natalie laughed. "You're something else, you know it?"

"Now, something else, that I can believe…" he responded, with a smile.

"Ha! Now there is the smile I missed all week." She said, releasing him and letting him get back to dishwashing. "You don't know how stressful it is for me when I know that you're stressed out."

As she took the dishes he washed and loaded them in the dishwasher, the conversation continued.

"I don't mean to stress you out." He replied.

"I know you don't. And, really…considering all things, you rarely do. But if I think you're unhappy, then I take that burden on and I feel unhappy."

He stopped and looked at her earnestly. "I don't want to make you unhappy."

"Awe, honey. I know you don't. And…you don't. It's just things like turning 60…that's nothing….well…it's something. It's an important milestone….but, it's just a year. It's certainly not something to get all upset over, nor is it something to look down at yourself over and think stupid thoughts like…"

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like being jealous of Randy?" she started giggling. "Seriously! I respected Sharona before, but now I think she's a superhero!"

Adrian just grinned, catching Natalie's eyes.

"What?" she asked, with a curious gaze.

"I love your smile too." He replied.

She bit her lip and moved forward for a tender kiss. "Then you must feel love a lot, because you make me smile all the time."

"I do… Feel love…a lot." He responded, setting a dirty dish down in the sink and pulling her by the waist close to him.

They kissed again.

"Well, stud…you better hurry up and get finished then. Would hate for those smiles to fade because we spent too much time cleaning." She replied.

"Yes, ma'am!" He answered, quickly turning back to the sink and scrubbing the dishes as if he were competing for an Olympic medal.

* * *

For the next several days, the Monks were almost like newlyweds again. Adrian was happy and generous and friendly to everyone he would see.

Leland had seen Monk in love enough to know what was going on in his head and figured he would just sit back and enjoy the moment while it lasted. Randy, on the other hand was a bit confused. On the third day of happy Adrian, Randy went into Leland's office and shut the door.

Leland looked up from his computer at Randy who was looking around suspiciously.

"Something wrong?" Leland asked.

Randy closed the blinds and walked forward. "I think you should sit down." He said.

Leland looked at him strangely. "I am sitting down."

"Oh. Oh yeah." Randy said. "Maybe I need to sit down."

Leland raised and eyebrow and motioned with his hand for Randy to pull up a chair.

"What's going on?" Leland asked.

"It's Monk." Randy said.

"What about him?" asked Leland.

"Don't you think…well, doesn't he seem to be acting…strangely, the past several days?" Randy asked.

Leland thought about that comment. "No stranger than normal." He answered.

"No…he's definitely different…he's almost…I don't know…happy!" Randy replied.

Leland smirked. "Yes. Adrian seems very happy right now. Aren't you glad for him?"

Randy furrowed his brow. "Normally, yes. I would be. But…this is Monk! He doesn't just walk around happy for days unless there is something wrong."

"He doesn't?" Leland replied.

"No! And you know, Sharona and I were watching this medical documentary on television the other night that talked about how some of the most depressed people in the world appear the happiest…like that comedian, Jake Willis. Everyone thought he was on top of the world, but then they had to have him committed when he went on an insane murder spree." Randy replied.

"And you think Monk is on this sort of track?" Leland asked.

"Well…it's possible, don't you think?" Randy asked. "Tell me, Leland. I trust your opinion. Do you think Monk is about to crack?"

Leland looked at Randy as he had so many times before. "Do I think that Monk is acting happy but is secretly depressed enough that he's going to go on a murder spree?"

"Yeah. Could he?" Randy asked, wide-eyed.

"No. No Randy, I don't think that." Leland said.

"But he was acting so grouchy before, and it's like a light flicked on or something." Randy justified.

"Yeah…well, maybe he and Natalie had a good talk after we left." Leland replied.

"A talk?" Randy said.

"Yes. A good talk." Leland answered.

Randy was quiet. "Ohhhhhh…you mean a _good_ talk. I've got it!" He smiled then laughed. "Ah, I feel so relieved! Thanks, Leland!" he said, standing up from the desk and walking out into the lobby. As he walked, he passed by Adrian coming towards Stottlemeyer's office.

"Hey Randy." Adrian said, nonplussed by Disher's demeanor coming out of Leland's office.

"Hey Monk! You go get'em tiger!" Randy said with a wink and a punch to the arm that Monk recoiled from. Adrian stood and watched Disher move briskly towards his own office mumbling to himself. "A talk…that's good. Hey Sharona…wanna…talk….?"

"Monk!" Come in!" Leland said, as a confused Adrian walked into his office carrying the morning paper.

"What's up with Randy?" Adrian asked, perplexed.

"Nothing. He's just happy, that you're happy. You look like you have something on your mind." Leland said.

Adrian decided to let the Randy part go because he indeed did want to discuss something.

"Yeah. I was just reading the morning news in my office and ran into this article." He stated.

Leland took the paper and reviewed the headline. "_Woman found dead in Revere Beach Apartment_ hmm. Anyone we know?"

"Yes. Belinda Parsons. The Pageant Announcer for the Einstein Kids Pageant, only the paper doesn't call her that. They refer to her as the associate coordinator." Adrian replied.

"Really? Wow. Small world. Who would have wanted her dead?" Leland wondered.

Adrian sat down. "I don't know. Some parent whose kid didn't make the cut?"

"Do you think so?" Leland asked.

"Well, perhaps. I only mention that because the article says that the body was found near the door, strangled to death, and the only thing that was missing according to her roommate was a notebook that she kept on the desk with information about the Einstein organization." Adrian replied.

"That's strange. But again, why would someone want to kill the coordinator?" Leland asked.

"I wondered that. But there is another pageant next month in San Diego. I know that the competition to get into these things is fierce. Maybe some parent wanted to make sure their child would be included?" He suggested.

"But, wouldn't they just leave the notebook then?" Leland asked.

Adrian thought. "You're right. They would have." He mused. "They said the computer was left on as well. Maybe that's what they were after. Something on her computer."

"Information." Leland replied.

"Yeah, information about the event or maybe an attendee?" Monk asked. "I sure would like to get my hands on that case file."

Leland smiled. "Doesn't surprise me. You're the best cop I've ever known. It probably bothers you a lot to see the headlines and not have the access you used to."

Adrian shook his head. "Yes. But, it's okay. I like what we're doing here too. It's a good group."

"Even Disher?" Leland joked.

Adrian smiled. "Yeah, even…"

Just then, Randy came bursting back into the room with a determined look on his face.

"Ah, good!" he said. "You're still here."

"What now, Randy?" Leland asked.

"Not you. Adrian, man…I just wanted to let you know…if you ever feel depressed and want to talk about something…you're not alone man…I'll listen." Randy said.

Adrian looked over at Leland with a baffled look, then back at Randy. "Okay. Thank you, Randy."

Randy nodded his head, touched Monk on the shoulder and then walked out of the room. As he did, Monk looked back at Leland, who looked amused, and with mouth agape, threw both hands in the air.

Smirking, Leland simply replied. "Nothing for you to worry about. Just Randy being Randy."

* * *

Saturday afternoon arrived, bright, sunny and unseasonably warm for New England.

The Dishers lived in a modest home just a few blocks away from the Monks in Swampscott with a large front and back yard, perfect for entertaining, and a great place for Ophelia and her friends to play.

On this day, they had decorated the place with shiny streamers and balloons, in Ophelia's favorite colors, and even included a small bounce house towards the rear of the back yard.

For his part, Adrian hated going to parties, particularly parties like this. There were just too many people to feel awkward around, and too many kids still trying to kick various viruses they had acquired during the recent Winter season. But, he was still in a good mood, so he grabbed a pack of wipes and didn't even complain when Natalie told him it was time to go.

As they entered the back yard, Adrian held Lee and Natalie held Abby as they surveyed the scene. In addition to parents, most of whom Adrian and Natalie had never met, there were around twenty-five children ranging in age from one year up to around age eight.

Randy was on the telephone when the Monks walked up.

"Yes. Yes. We can handle that. Call me at the office on Monday. Phone number is 1-617-555-1010. Thanks…. Look forward to it." He said, hanging up the phone. "Hey, Adrian, Natalie! Glad you can make it. Sharona's inside about to bring out some more pigs in a blanket. Help yourselves."

"Pigs in a what?" Adrian asked.

"Hot dogs wrapped in dough." Natalie explained. "They're pretty good."

"I don't think so." Adrian responded. Ever since he had seen how hot dogs were made, he had avoided them like the plague. In fact, he now thought of them as the plague and would often avoid people that he knew had eaten them.

Setting the children down, the two Monks began to make their way around the party.

While Natalie helped Sharona bring more hors d'oeuvres to the reception table, Adrian watched Lee and Abby running around with other children, romping through the grass and chasing one another with streamers that had fallen on the ground. It did his heart good to watch his children having a normal childhood, the kind he always wanted.

While he was watching them play and enjoying their laughter, he felt two hands squeeze his arms from behind. His back stiffened, since he knew that these were not the hands of his wife, Sharona or Randy all of whom he could see. Slowly, he turned and his apprehensive face brightened.

"Benjy! Benjy Fleming!" He said, reaching forward and giving Benjy a hug. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

Benjy was now in his 20s, favored his biological father in looks and temperament, but much more responsible. He was around Adrian's height and was standing next to a young woman whom Adrian guessed was his girlfriend, Pamela, that Sharona had mentioned once or twice along the way.

"Hey Adrian! I didn't realize that you were going to be here either! This is my girlfriend. Pamela, this man here is the coolest man of my childhood." He said, introducing Adrian to Pamela.

Adrian nodded at the young woman, who smiled.

"Adrian? _The_ famous Adrian Monk?" she asked. "Benjy tells me stories about you all the time. Not sure whether I believe them all though… like the time Benjy witnessed a murder when the three of you were on vacation…" she said.

"Benjy was eleven. We were on the beach and your mom told you to look through the telescope. When you did, you saw a maid get murdered in a room in the hotel." Adrian replied.

"And we looked around the hotel for quite a while trying to produce the body to show the crime had been committed." Benjy added. "You believed me."

"You were an honest kid. Why wouldn't I?" Adrian asked.

"I was eleven." Benjy said.

"But I knew you. You were, and are, a young man of character." He said.

"Well, thank you! And you were a rock star! I used to want to take him to show and tell. I would have my friends come over just to watch him do something smart. Hey…just a second." He said. "Stay right here!"

Adrian stood stiffly with a smile on his face next to Pamela and watched the kids as they ran around the yard playing hide and seek. Seeing they were getting too close to the edge of the yard, he told Ophelia to make sure they didn't go out of the yard.

"Okay, Mr. Monk." She said, resuming her game.

Benjy came outside with two puzzle boxes, and emptied them onto a card table.

"Adrian. Come over here for a second." He said.

Adrian looked down at the puzzle with recognition towards the game and smiled.

"Once more for old time's sake?" he said.

Adrian looked over at the children and then bent over and began to quickly separate the pieces as Benjy began to time how long it would take him to solve both puzzles. He had been at it for only about 45 seconds when they heard a loud crack which was followed by Ophelia walking slowly up towards Sharona holding out her arm. She was crying.

"Mommmmaaaa!" she wailed. "It…it hurtsss!"

Sharona dropped what she was doing immediately and Randy, Adrian, Natalie and Benjy gathered round to watch as Sharona examined Ophelia's arm.

As they did so, Abby came up to Adrian and began to tug on his pant leg. He looked down and she too was crying.

Concerned over Ophelia, he just patted her on the head as he continued to watch.

"Daddy." Abby said.

"Can you move it?" Sharona asked Ophie.

"It h-hurtttsss…." She said, through sobs.

"Let mommy see…does this hurt?" Sharona asked, trying to bend Ophie's wrist.

"Daddy…" Abby interrupted.

"It's okay, Abby. Ophie will be okay." Adrian said, picking his own daughter up but watching Ophelia.

"Mommy, it hurts!" Ophelia responded.

"I think it's broken." Sharona announced. "We probably need to get her to a doctor."

"Daddy…." Abby said.

Adrian was mesmerized by the scene, but finally broke his attention away from the scene and looked at Abby.

He took the back of her head in his hand and brought her towards him, kissing her on the forehead.

"It's okay, Abby. Ophie will be okay." He said.

"Ophie, be okay." She said.

"Yes. She will be fine. Don't cry." He said, beginning to look around for Leland.

"Lee Lee cry." She said.

Not seeing him, he looked down. "Lee Lee cry? When?"

"Lee Lee sad." She replied.

"Where is he, Abby? Where is Lee Lee?" he asked, looking through the crowd.

"Lee Lee go bye bye." She responded.

"What? Lee Lee went bye bye?" He walked through the yard and then around the house, looking for Lee everywhere he could think. Panic began to build. "Where did Lee Lee go, Abby? Can you remember. Can you tell Daddy where Lee Lee went?" he asked.

"Wiff man in wong coat." She said.

The blood drained from Adrian's face and his heart began to pound with a ferocity that he had never felt before. He looked at Abby, horror stricken at what was happening.

"A man in a long coat took Lee Lee?" he asked.

"Mmm hmmm. Lee Lee cry." She said.

Adrian began to shake. He felt like he was about to be physically ill. "Was he in a car?" he asked.

"Mmmm hmmm. Went dat way." She replied, pointing down the street.

"Oh, dear God. Please no." he responded. Holding Abby close to his chest, he ran as fast as he could, heart pounding hard within his chest and world seeming to spin around him.

"Natalie! Natalie!" he cried.

Sharona and Randy had just picked up the keys to their car to take Ophelia to the hospital when they spotted him.

"Adrian?!" Natalie said as a sudden surge of fear gripped her heart upon seeing Monk's ashen expression. "What's wrong?"

"He's…he's gone." He said breathlessly. "They…they took him…." He said, feeling as if his knees were about to give out from underneath him.

"Who? Who's gone?" Natalie asked.

"Adrian, you okay?" Sharona said.

Natalie looked around. "Lee. Where is Lee?!"

She tore off running through the yard, following much the same path as Monk had and Adrian sank to his knees in tears.

"They took him. I turned my head for just a minute and they took him!" he cried.

Randy came beside him, "They took Lee? Who? Who took him?"

"I don't know." he said. "I don't know."

Natalie came running back with the same panic stricken expression

"I don't see him! Where is our son?!" she cried.

Disher took charge.

"Sharona, can you take Ophie to the hospital?" he asked.

"Absolutely! Call me when you hear something." She said, stopping and putting her hand on Adrian's shoulder. "Guys, it'll be okay. We'll find him. Don't panic." But her words of assurance fell on deaf ears.

Natalie bent down to be close to her husband and daughter as a nightmare that no parent would ever wish to face unfolded in front of her in an almost surreal manner. Time seemed to stand still. Voices were in slow motion as an electric terror reverberated all around the Monks causing them to lose all sense of space and time.

Randy ran to the phone and called the Police, then called Leland. Returning to his friends, he bent down and put his arm around them both. The two parents looked utterly in shock.

With gravity in his voice, Disher spoke softly.

"Listen. I've called the police here in Swampscott and I called Leland. We can take my car and go looking for him. Do you know what kind of car he was in?"

Adrian had forgotten to get details, but Abby, being nearly as smart as her brother, understood.

"Bwack. Bwack. Like Mommy's." she said.

Adrian processed what Abby said. "A black SUV. Natalie drives an SUV."

"Alright. Let's get going. They can't have gone very far." Randy said, taking Adrian and Natalie by the arm and helping them to the car.

* * *

As the black SUV sped through Boston, a tall thin man in his late 50s made a phone call to Castillo and let him know that the 'package' had been picked up and that they were on their way to the airport.

"Excellent news. My client will be most pleased. Did you deliver the note that he requested?" Castillo asked.

"Yes. We put it by the door as you requested." The thin man stated.

"Good. Now be very careful with the child. We do not want him harmed. The plane should be waiting for you and is gassed up. Have a safe journey and I'll see you when you reach your destination."

"Will do. Thanks." The thin man said, as he hung up the phone and looked down at a very serious and quiet Leland Monk.


	5. Chapter 5

The ride home that evening was extremely quiet. In fact, almost nothing was said at all as the pained parents and their baby girl rode in the back seat of Randy Disher's car staring blankly ahead, exhausted from a full seven hours of fruitless searching. Another grueling hour was spent at the police station making a statement about what had happened so that the police report could be filed, and an amber alert issued. It was all they could do; but, to the anxious parents it felt like doing nothing at all.

As they pulled into the driveway, they were surprised to see lights on inside their house.

Randy asked, "Did you leave those on?"

With a voice stressed by tears and fear, Natalie responded. "No. We didn't. But, it may be Julie."

Randy parked the car and told the Monks to stay where they were while he checked things out. Walking up to the house, he couldn't see anything through the front windows, so he walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Peggy Davenport answered. Her face fell with disappointment when she saw that it was just Randy.

"Detective Disher. It's you. I was hoping it was Natalie and Adrian." She said with no emotion.

"They're out in the car." He answered.

"Oh good. Please…tell me you have found my grandson" she said.

He looked down, then up and shook his head no.

Turning back towards the car, he nodded at Adrian and Natalie that it was safe to come in. As Natalie carried Abby toward the house, Julie appeared, moving Peggy out of the way, and ran out onto the sidewalk to meet them. Saying nothing, she pulled both Natalie and Adrian in for a hug, and the tears poured forth from pain saturated souls. Julie took Abby from her mother, and then led Natalie by the arm toward the house. Adrian walked quietly behind, staring at the ground as he walked. Meeting Disher at the door, he stopped when Randy put one hand on his shoulder.

"Listen." Disher said. "If you or Natalie need ANYTHING at all. Call. Sharona and I can be here in five minutes."

Adrian did not look up, but merely shook his head with acknowledgement. "Thank you, Randy." He said softly, before walking inside his front door and shutting the door.

* * *

Inside the home, the Monks were greeted by Bobby Davenport and Peggy who peppered them with questions before Natalie even had time to set down her purse. As Julie took Abby into the kitchen to get her a bite to eat, they were treated to a barrage of "Tell us, what happened." "Did anyone see anything?" "What time did it happen?" "What are the police doing?" Of course, these were all questions that they answered with an almost flat automation, seeing that they had just spent an hour with law enforcement discussing the same thing.

The questions that were harder to answer and to stomach were "Are you okay?" "Who do you think has him?" and, worst of all, Peggy Davenport's pointed inquiry, "Who was responsible for watching the baby?"

Upon hearing this one, Adrian's expression turned from one of hurt and fatigue to that of a haunted man, as he went backwards in his mind and considered the moments leading up to the kidnapping.

He was the one responsible for watching the kids; but, what was he doing? He left a mere child in charge of making sure that they didn't leave the yard to take a few moments away to go impress Benjy's girlfriend. For what reason? Pride? What was he thinking?! His child's safety over a stupid puzzle. The more he pondered, the more great remorse set in.

"Well…who was it? Who was supposed to be watching the children?" Peggy asked again, snapping Adrian out of his daze.

"I…I was." He said, almost in a whisper.

"You were? What on earth were you doing?" Peggy asked, at which point Julie, seeing where this was heading, stepped in and pulled her away.

"Grandma, enough questions for tonight. Mom and Adrian are tired. I think it's time you and grandpa went home." She said, as she picked up Peggy's purse and handed it to her.

"But, I'm just trying to find out what happened." Peggy said.

"Grandma. You're not helping. Please go. I'll stay here tonight and let you know how things are tomorrow, okay?" Julie responded.

Bobby stepped up. "Julie's right, Peggy. We need to go." Walking up to Natalie, Bobby gave her a hug and then turned to Adrian and stiffly did the same for him. It barely registered. Peggy kissed Natalie on her tear-stained cheek and then nodded at Adrian, who looked up at her with a mixture of grief and guilt.

"Good evening, Adrian." She said, as Bobby led her out the door.

As the door clicked shut behind him, Adrian looked up at Natalie whose expression was one of despair. Walking up to her, he put one hand on her shoulder and pulled her to him. She did not respond. She was simply beyond feeling at this point.

Adrian interpreted this perceived coldness as anger. He was supposed to take care of the children. One simple job. Now, look what happened. He hated himself, and would not be surprised if she hated him too. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. But, how he felt inside heavily colored how he viewed the world outside. He felt himself spiraling into a pit of despair, but one look at his wife's face put the brakes on any self-pity. Natalie was utterly crushed, and in his view, he played a role in her pain. Against his nature, he had to hold it together and stay strong for them all. He caused this. He could fix it. He knew he must.

* * *

That evening, there was very little sleep for either Monk. Natalie sobbed on her side of the bed, but resisted Adrian's attempts to comfort her. In her mind, she knew how difficult this must be for him, and longed to reach out to him to comfort him, but her pain was too great.

The few times that she did speak, she tended to be repetitive, asking Adrian if he thought that Lee was safe. And crying over the baby not being at home with his special blankie.

At first, Adrian just let her talk, willing to let her express whatever painful thought she was experiencing. But, after a while, he grew frustrated- not with her, but with his inability to do anything to ease her suffering. Yes, he was suffering as well. But, he willed himself to not think about his own pain – at least as long as she was awake and needed him.

When at last she had cried herself to sleep, he remained awake- thinking. Was this some random snatching, or did they know him? Was this another case where his career had put lives in danger?

"Stop thinking like that!" he told himself. "Focus on what you can do to bring Lee back. It is the only thing you can do to redeem yourself. Right now, it is the one thing that matters most." His own feelings could and should be pushed aside. They weren't important. All that mattered was his family. Lee, Natalie, and Abby. Nothing else.

* * *

When daylight began to make its way through the bedroom window, he quietly slipped out of bed. Since Natalie was sleeping, he did not and would not disturb her. He went to his wardrobe and pulled out a change of clothing, not even bothering to shower lest he wake his wife, and then made his way out the bedroom door.

Julie had stayed all night in the guest room and Abigail stayed with her big sister. So, before making his way towards the kitchen, he stopped by to take a peek at his girls. Julie heard him open the door.

"Hey." She said sleepily, causing him to jump in the stillness of the morning.

He looked at her through bloodshot eyes and said "Hi. I…I didn't mean to wake you. Just checking on you girls."

"You didn't wake me." She said. "How are you and Mom doing?"

"Your mother is asleep. She cried most of the night." He replied.

"And you?" she asked.

He looked at her. "Don't worry about me. I'm just going to head downstairs and make some coffee, then call a cab to go to the office."

Julie sat up on her elbows. "You're going to work?!"

Adrian hadn't expected the sudden reaction and felt condemned all over again. He closed in on himself and looked towards the floor.

"I have to do something. I can't just sit here and wait for the police to call." He said.

"Adrian, you're in no shape to be working. Your child was just kidnapped." She replied.

He looked at her with sadness. "Julie. I have to. If anything happens to Lee…it will kill Natalie…" he replied.

"And you?" she asked, concerned about his continual omission of himself.

"Yes. And me. But, I'm not worried about that." He replied.

Julie quietly slipped out of the bedroom while Abby slept soundly, and motioned for Adrian to walk out into the hallway.

Just outside the door, she stood face-to-face with her step-father in the hallway.

"Adrian. You're not thinking straight. You can't be. Mom doesn't need you to go running off and play the hero in trying to find Lee. You're liable to get yourself and your son killed. She needs you to stay here, with her, and just be with her." Julie said.

"You're wrong." He replied. "Julie, I know you know I'm not the strongest man – mentally or physically. Right now, I'm doing something that I've never been able to do at any other time in my life. I'm holding it together – for her. For Leland. For us… I am not sure how long that can last, but I know if I just sit here in this house while our son is in danger, I'm going to fall apart. I can't do that to Natalie. I have to stay busy. Will you stay with her while I'm at work?"

Julie looked at his tired and sorrowful visage and leaned forward to give him a hug.

"Alright. I will stay. Don't stay gone all day. You need to rest too." She said, patting him on the arm.

He simply nodded and turned to go towards the kitchen.

* * *

When the taxi arrived, he walked out the front door and locked the deadbolt. Checking it three different times, he was turning to leave when he spotted a piece of paper that had blown off of the porch and into the bushes.

Instinctively, he reached in his pocket and used his tweezers to pick it up, and then with a handkerchief opened it up to read it. It was a letter, the kind made with cut out pieces of newspaper. It included a cut out photo of the Monk family from the Gazette.

In a random fashion, the letters spelled out.

M_r _aNd M_r_S aDRi_a_N MoNK.

ThAnk Y_o_U for yOUr COntrIButIon

TO oUr FuTUre WoRld

YOuR GeNerouS GiFt ME_a_Ns SO

MuCh. W_or_Ry nOt. WE wILL T_a_kE

G_o_O_d C_aRe oF Th_e b_oY.

WItH aL L mY Lo V_E_

_Y_oUr FRiEnD In N_e_w Yor_k_

Adrian looked bewildered. A communication from Lee's kidnappers? But no request for ransom? What did it mean? One question it answered. It wasn't random. Those responsible were after Lee specifically and knew who Adrian and Natalie were. Another thing, it inferred that there were multiple people involved – and yet, it is signed by a singular person. In New York? "Who lives in New York?" Adrian wondered, as he tucked the paper away in his notebook and headed to the office.


	6. Chapter 6

It was 7:15 AM when Leland Stottlemeyer arrived at the office, anxious to pick up where he left off from the night before on the case of his missing godson. Seeing that it was Sunday, he wasn't really expecting that there would be anyone in the office and was more than a little disturbed when he unlocked the door and every light in the building was on.

Slowly, he walked into the area where Heather usually sat, only to find file drawers wide open and folders strewn all over the place. Then, he heard sounds. They were coming from the storage area. He drew his pistol and quietly made his way along the wall until he was at the edge of the door. Then, suddenly, he pivoted and stood in the doorway, gun barrel facing into the room, ready to shoot at the first sign of danger.

"FREEZE! Hand's Up!" he shouted.

From the middle of a large stack of files that had just been emptied onto the floor, two hands rose up in the air.

"Now stand up where I can see you. Slowly. And don't make any false moves. I have a gun." Leland ordered.

Slowly, a shock of curly brown hair appeared above the files. Next came the eyes, at which point Leland exhaled and re-holstered his pistol.

"Monk!" he sighed. "Buddy, you scared me! You could have been shot!"

"Wouldn't have been the first time." Adrian replied.

"What are you doing here? I figured you would be at home." He asked.

Adrian leaned over the pile of paper allowing some to haphazardly fall to the ground then stumbled over to Leland holding a folder in his hand.

"I am researching this." He said, handing Leland a folder which contained the note.

"Where did you get this?" He asked as he took the paper.

Adrian looked at him glassy eyed. "It was by our front porch."

Leland read through the information. "So, this wasn't random." he replied.

"No. They knew who we were." Adrian said. "They targeted my son specifically. They saw our picture in that newspaper."

Leland thought. "Well, who do you know that lives in New York?"

Adrian sat up. "That's what I've been looking for. I've been looking for case files, prosecution records, anything that would point to someone in my past that lives in New York. I'm coming up with nothing."

He walked back over to the cabinets. "Here. You can help me look." He said, handing Leland a pile of papers.

Just then, Randy walked in.

"What happened here?" Disher asked, looking at a room that gave the appearance a hurricane had run through it.

Leland walked over to Randy and handed him the note. Randy quickly read it and handed it back.

"New York?" he stated.

"Yeah. Monk found it by his front door this morning." Leland replied, looking towards Adrian. Adrian was squinting, trying to focus on the paper in his hands.

"Monk,Buddy. You need to go home. Let Randy and I handle this search." He said.

"I can't. I have to work. I have to find out who has him. I have to fix what I did." He said, trailing off on the last part.

Leland walked forward with brows furrowed. "W-w-w-wait. Did you just say 'what _you_ did?' Monk, tell me you're not blaming yourself!"

Adrian was quiet.

"Adrian, this is not your fault! You've got enough on your plate than to add false guilt!" Leland continued.

"I should have been watching him." Adrian replied.

"It all happened within less than a minute. You can't watch your child every second." Stottlemeyer answered.

"I was trying to impress Benjy's girlfriend, for Benjy's sake. But, I should have kept my eyes on my babies. They are only two. What was I thinking?" Adrian said, his eyes searching the space around him for answers that weren't there.

"Hey, Monk." Randy said, coming over to him. "If you're going to do this, any one of us could do the same. We've already had to talk to Ophie a little because she was blaming herself because you asked her to watch the kids…"

"It's not Ophie's fault. She's just a kid herself. I was stupid for putting that on her." Adrian replied.

"I know it's not her fault, and it's not your fault. I could blame myself, because I'm the one who didn't fill in the hole in the yard that she fell over that caused the big distraction. Sharona told me to fill it in, but I kept putting it off. Natalie could blame herself because, wasn't it her that first talked to the reporters and got your pictures in the paper?"

"No. Natalie's not to blame. She's absolutely crushed." Adrian said, his face becoming even sadder as he spoke.

"Of course she's not to blame, just like you're not. Heck, I could say Sharona is to blame for inviting you guys to the Einstein pageant to begin with." Randy added.

Adrian's expression suddenly changed as it so often did when something clicked in his mind on a case. "Wait a minute." He said.

Leland and Randy both put their hands on their hips and looked at him.

"What have you got?" Leland said.

Adrian shook his head yes and looked up with bloodshot eyes at his friends. There was no smile like there usually was at these moments, for his smile was gone. But, he had put his finger on something important.

* * *

In Swampscott, it took Natalie a few minutes to reacclimate herself to her surroundings and everything that had gone on. In the light of the day, she was calmer, but her heart was no less barren and heavy. She put on her robe to go look for Adrian, but ran into Julie who was making Abby some breakfast in the kitchen. Natalie looked around and then cleared her throat so as to not scare her daughter.

"Hey Mom! You're up?" Julie said, placing a plate of toddler appropriate food in front of her sister.

"Yes. I woke up." Natalie replied quietly. "Where's Adrian?"

Julie looked to the left and then back at her Mom. "He's at the office." She answered.

Natalie furrowed her brow. "The office? But, it's Sunday."

"I know. I tried to talk him out of going, but he said he couldn't just sit here waiting for the police to call, and he wanted to get busy on the search himself to find Lee." Julie said.

"Lee Lee gone." Abby stated.

Natalie looked at her younger daughter and tears began to fill her eyes. She walked over to Abby and kissed her head. That poor child. She was the only witness to seeing her twin brother getting snatched. What must this be doing to her? Natalie kissed the top of her head, her blonde curls still had the texture and feel of those of a newborn – fine as strands of silk and soft.

"We will get Lee Lee back Abby. Don't worry." Natalie said, wanting to cheer her child but also herself. It had the opposite effect within, as thoughts no parent wants to think of came to mind. What if they didn't? Or what if it was in a body bag? How would she explain that to Abby? Her eyes betrayed what was going on in her mind and Julie picked up on it.

"Mom! Don't go there." Julie said. "There is no reason to think Leland is not okay. If you start letting your mind drift there, you're going to go insane. Just focus on keeping it together and being here for Abby."

Natalie swallowed and walked over to the refrigerator in slow motion. She opened the door and then just stood there, staring. She wasn't sure why she was even there. Her mind was elsewhere. Back at the party. One minute she was laughing and the next moment her world was shattered.

Julie stood up and put her hand on Natalie's shoulder.

"Mom. Go sit down. I'll make you a little something for breakfast." She said.

"I can't eat." Natalie replied.

"That's understandable. I will at least make you a little juice, or coffee, would you like that?" she asked.

Natalie nodded then walked over and sat at the kitchen table.

"Did he say how long he would be gone?" she asked, staring blankly ahead.

Julie reached up into the cupboard for a glass and then set it on the counter. "He didn't. Just that he had to work. I made him promise he wouldn't stay out too long."

Natalie looked at the floor. "He's trying to hold it together."

Julie looked at her mother and nodded. "Yes. I believe you're right there. He has the look of a man driven. He knows he can't fall apart, or you guys lose everything. He's also ignoring his own needs trying to put everyone else's in front."

"That's not good." Natalie said.

"I know. But he's doing the best that he can right now, I suppose. I wish he had stayed, but I'm here and I've already talked to my husband – I'm happy to stay here until you guys get my brother back. You're not alone." Julie replied.

Natalie reached out her hand and took Julie's. "Thank you."

* * *

In a room on the other side of the globe, the thin man walked Lee into Gerhardt Castillo's den announcing their arrival. It was early afternoon Castillo's time, so he had just settled in for an afternoon snack and was reading a newspaper.

"Mr. Castillo. Your package has arrived." The thin man announced.

Castillo looked up at the man and then down at Lee who stood still and quiet in the midst of strangers.

"Ah! Thank you, Jeffers! And you must be Lee Monk! Adorable child. Come over here where I can see you." Castillo said.

Leland just stood still with his mouth shut looking over at Castillo.

"Jeffers, bring the boy over to me." Gerhardt ordered.

Taking Lee's hand, he led the boy to his boss and then retreated a couple of steps.

"You don't talk? Or you just don't want to talk to me?" Castillo asked.

Lee kept his mouth shut and looked at his kidnapper eye to eye.

"That's okay. It's probably pretty strange to you right now. You'll get used to it. They all do." He said, then looking up. "Jeffers. Would you go get Abeo and let him know that his new ward has arrived. I would like to get him into testing soon to see just how smart this kid is."

"Yes sir." Jeffers responded, turning to carry out the order.

Castillo looked back at Lee. "Don't worry young man. We aren't going to hurt you here. This is your new home, where you will live as a prince. With our help, you will become a great leader someday. But we will have to do much work along the way."

The door opened and Jeffers came in with Abeo, a dark-skinned man in colorful loose-fitting clothing, a small square hat, around his mid sixties.

"Is this Master Lee?" he said, walking over towards the boy.

"Yes. This is Lee Monk. Lee, this is your new friend, Abeo. He's going to teach you many things and will be very good to you." Castillo said.

Lee looked up at Abeo suspiciously, but something in the man's eyes told him not to fear.

"Will you come with me, Lee?" said Abeo, sticking his hand out for Leland to hold. Lee walked forward and took the man by the hand followed him through the large open doors into the learning lab for a day of exploration.

* * *

Back in Boston, Adrian began to explain to Leland and Randy what he had discovered.

"It's all connected." He said.

"What is?" Leland asked.

Adrian stopped for a minute as the implications of what he was about to say hit him. A disturbed look came on his face, but he pushed aside the fear as best as he could.

"The murder. The murder of the Pageant Coordinator and Leland's kidnapping." He said.

"Belinda Parsons?" Randy asked.

"Yes. They broke into her apartment to get our personal information. We had to provide it when we registered at the front door. For some reason, they wanted Lee. And, they wanted him badly enough that they would kill over it." Monk replied.

"Goodness!" Leland answered. "That explains why her computer was on and that book was the only thing taken. I'll tell you what. Randy and I are doing to go over to the police station and see what information they have on that case. We'll drop you back by your house on our way."

"Leland, I can't go home. Not now. I have to follow this through." He said.

"What about Natalie?" Randy asked.

"Julie is staying with her for now. I'm just not in good enough shape to be who she needs me to be at present. But let me start making some headway on finding our boy, and I know I can be stronger." He said.

"Alright. You can come along, but after that, you're going home. You can't be mentally strong if you are physically weak. And, in spite of how you feel right now, I imagine just your presence is enough to help your wife get through this." Leland responded.

Adrian nodded and began to walk towards the door. Then he stopped and looked around.

Blinking several times, he looked up at Leland and Randy.

"Did I do all this?" he asked, looking at the mess of papers all around.

Leland smirked. "Yes. Adrian Monk made a mess!"

Adrian shook his head. "Wait. We can't leave it like this. We need to clean it all up."

Leland put his arm around Monk's shoulder and led him to the door. "It can wait, buddy."

"Leland, you know I can't think straight if I know things aren't in order." He replied.

Leland sighed. "Okay. You and Randy take the back room and I'll start in here. And Randy, make sure everything is in perfect alphabetical order, just like it was originally, or we'll be here all night."


	7. Chapter 7

Abeo led little Leland by the hand into a section of the building that was brightly decorated and full of children, all of whom were older than him, and all in uniform. The boys wore black shorts with a white button up shirt and a tie. A few wore a jacket with their uniforms, and the jackets had an insignia on them of a golden laurel wreath with a black phoenix as part of its design. The wreath was placed on a field of red and white, and a circle surrounded the entire design with black thread. The girls wore a similar design, though the tie was more of a scarf and the shorts were skirts or skorts. Their hair was long and tied back or put in braids. Each child was occupied with some sort of academic activity based upon age and ability, and each child was relatively emotionless, but curious, as Abeo gave Lee a tour to gauge what might interest the boy.

Lee was withdrawn as he had been the entire trip. He held to Abeo's hand and took in every sight and sound around him as they walked. There was a reading room, and an area where younger children would practice writing. There was a room where language-gifted children would learn to speak and write foreign languages. Young adults, from prior "classes", led younger children through various exercises in a science lab and a math lab. And, there was a music room where children practiced and sang songs and where at present a little girl, around age 6, with blonde curly hair, pulled back in a pony tail, sat playing a somewhat complex song on the piano. Lee stopped when he saw her and his lower lip began to quiver.

Abeo looked down at him.

"You like music?" he asked, but then upon looking at Leland closer he realized that he was upset.

"What's wrong, child?" he asked.

Lee looked up to him with his big brown eyes, now rimmed with tears, and said softly. "Ab-by."

"Abby? Who is Abby?" Abeo asked.

"Abby is sissy." Lee replied.

"Abby is your sister? I see." Abeo said.

Lee began to become more upset. "Where Mommy and Daddy? I want my Daddy." He said, breaking out into more tears.

This was the part Abeo hated the most -when the children began to cry. He had seen it so many times and it hurt him as many times as he had seen it. But, he had a job to do and it wasn't his culture to question.

He had been told by leadership that the parents had voluntarily "sent" their children to their "Institute" for "Intellectual Development", but he was no fool. Too many children had told stories of the families left behind and being taken, and he knew that the group he was with was responsible.

Due to the remote area that they were in, he knew it would be impossible for him to blow the whistle on the entire operation without risking the children's lives, so he stayed where he was and served, trying to make sure that the experience was as good as it could be for the children involved, hoping that all would work out in the end.

Something about young Leland shook him though. This was a first. He was just a baby, and in Abeo's mind, to separate a baby from its parents was anathema. They had crossed a line. He didn't know what to do.

He bent down and picked Lee up.

"It's alright, little one. You are with Abeo. Don't cry." He said.

"Where Mommy? Daddy? " Lee cried.

"I know. You miss them. I will be like a daddy to you though. Abeo will take care of Lee. Please don't cry. It'll be okay." The man said, as Lee laid his head on Abeo's shoulder and began to suck his thumb for comfort. He tugged on his shirt, hoping to pull it close to himself as he would his special blankie, but then began to cry again when it just wasn't the same.

"This isn't right." Abeo thought to himself. "It's not right at all."

* * *

In Boston, the three detectives had made their way into the Swampscott Police Department and were awaiting arrival of the Lieutenant in charge of the investigation. Lieutenant Robert Shaw was a salty old cop whose life and career had been exemplary. Highly decorated, he had been a part of solving many of the areas most troubling crimes. Now, around Leland and Monk's age, he tended to spend more time training younger officers than physically working in the field. But, having been in law enforcement as long as he had been, he knew all about the history of Adrian Monk and had stepped out of pre-retirement, deciding he personally would handle this case.

When he walked through his office doors, the three men stood to greet him.

"Detectives Monk, Stottlemeyer and Disher I presume?" Shaw asked.

"Yes, sir. We're here to talk to you about the latest on baby Lee's kidnapping but also about a murder that happened a few days ago, South of Boston." Stottlemeyer stated.

"We are thinking that there may be a connection." Adrian said.

"Really? So…you're thinking that this wasn't a random kidnapping?" asked Shaw.

"No. It wasn't random. I found this, this morning, near the bushes by my front porch." Adrian replied handing him the note.

The officer read it. "Weird. So, no ransom, and it's from someone in New York? Have you spent time there?" he asked.

"No. That's what I can't figure out. Who do I know that lives in New York? Nobody that I can recall." Monk replied.

"What about Warrick Tennyson?" Randy asked.

"Tennyson is dead." Leland replied.

"Maybe not. Maybe he faked his death because he knew Monk was going to ask him questions." Randy suggested.

Leland and Monk just turned to Randy and glared.

"Then again, maybe not." Randy said, looking down at the floor.

"That is a thought. Maybe it is someone related to Tennyson." Leland replied.

"Revenge?" Randy asked.

"No. I checked Tennyson out at the time. He was a loner. Even his funeral was attended by only the undertaker and a couple of guys who were going to bury him later that day. Nobody would care about him enough to exact revenge. Besides, revenge for what? He helped kill Trudy. I let him live." Monk replied.

"What murder is it that you think this is connected to?" asked Shaw.

"The murder of the coordinator for Einstein Kids. Belinda Parsons." Leland responded.

"Yes. I heard about that the other day on the news. That was all the way at Revere Beach and we're up at Swampscott. Doesn't seem like a likely candidate for being connected, unless you know something you aren't telling me." Shaw replied.

Monk responded. "The photograph of my family in the note is from an article on the recent Einstein Kids event in Boston. When Parson's place was broken into, her roommate indicated that the only thing missing was an Einstein Kids notebook."

"Also, her computer was left on." Randy added.

"So, we were thinking that perhaps they broke into her apartment and took registration information for all of those involved." Leland explained.

"Which you think they used to find out where Lee Monk lived?" Shaw asked.

"Exactly." Adrian replied.

"That sounds plausible." The lieutenant stated. "I'm good friends with Pete Rivera, the chief of police down at Revere. Let me give him a call and have him fax what he knows up here. Do you have a little time?"

The three men nodded.

* * *

As they sat, Adrian looked at Leland and Randy and told them under no circumstances were they to tell Natalie about the picture of Lee within the note. He didn't want her worrying about the fact that she was the one who talked to the reporter who produced the article. They both agreed that they would remain quiet about the note.

Within about ten minutes, the fax machine at Swampscott lit up, and the papers from the case file of Belinda Parson's murder began coming through. One paper included an image from surveillance video of three men who had been spotted outside Parson's place. The images of their faces were very clear and one was thin and wearing a long coat.

Adrian's heart skipped a beat when he saw him. "That's him. That's the guy!" he said.

Leland looked at the picture and then up at Shaw. "He fits the description. Any word on who he is?"

Shaw looked through the papers. "Yeah. The investigation report says they believe that he is a man named Christophe Jeffers. He has been wanted by the FBI for bank fraud for around 15 years."

"So, our next visit has to be with the boys and girls down at the hub?" Leland asked.

"Sounds that way." Adrian replied. "I really do wish our paths would stop crossing though. It's never good having to deal with the Feds."

* * *

That evening, Adrian walked into the front door around 8:15 PM. Julie was sitting on a stool in the kitchen reading a book and Natalie was on the couch curled up with Abby, staring at a television screen that served as white noise in the background. The stress on her face was palpable. She looked up as he entered, but did not smile.

"Where have you been?" she asked. "I've been worried."

He walked over beside her, looking like a man who was running wholly on coffee and adrenaline might look. He hadn't slept a wink in 37 hours. He sat down on the edge of the couch. "I've been with Leland and Randy. Investigating Lee's kidnapping. We think we may have a lead."

"A lead? Really?" Natalie said, her demeanor brightening with the first ray of hope shining down upon her in over 24 hours.

"Yes. I can't go into all of the details, but we believe the kidnapper to be a man named Christophe Jeffers. We have a meeting with the FBI at eight in the morning to talk about the case." He said.

"The FBI? Why them?" she asked.

Adrian looked at Julie and then back at Natalie. "The man is wanted by the FBI for bank fraud committed 15 years ago. Apparently, he has been on the lam ever since."

"And now he has switched to kidnapping random children?" she asked.

He looked down and was quiet, not sure how to word what he wanted to say. Looking up, he continued.

"Here's the thing. It wasn't random. When I left this morning, there was a note. I left it with the police. It said that they had Lee and would treat him well, and we shouldn't worry."

"Fat chance of that!" said Julie, overhearing the conversation.

"You should have awakened me. I need to see this note. It was signed by this Jeffers?" Natalie asked.

"No. It was signed 'your friend in New York.'" He replied.

"New York? Who do we know in New York?" she asked.

"I don't know. That's what I've been trying to find out." He said.

She sat quietly for a few seconds.

"Back to Jeffers. Who is this guy and why do they think he is involved?" she asked.

Adrian stopped, not wanting her to know that the kidnapping was connected to the news article, nor to a murder. "I can't really get into that right now…" he said.

"You can't get into it?" she interrupted. "Or you won't? Are you hiding something?"

"Can't." he said. He looked down and fidgeted with his fingers. "I can't get into it at this time." then, looking up, he said "But I know, he's the guy. He's the guy who took our boy. And I will stop at nothing until Lee is back home." He said.

She frowned and looked at him in the eyes. "Adrian. Don't get yourself into any danger."

"I won't. We're being very careful and involving authorities at all stages." he said.

"Authorities like our buddies at the FBI?" she asked.

"Yes. But, I've told you what I can. Now, please, tell me. How are you doing?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Nice sidestep. I'm here. I'm hurting. I want my family back together. How are _you _doing?" she replied, a bit agitated that he was evading her line of questioning but also concerned for her husband.

"I'm trying to stay busy." He responded.

"That is _what _you're doing. Not _how _you're doing. Adrian, I know you too well. You have to deal with this. You can't keep it all bottled up. It isn't healthy. Do you want to talk?" she asked.

He was quiet. No. He truthfully didn't want to even think about it, at least from the personal sense. If he thought about its affect on him, he was liable to get emotional. And, if he was to get emotional, he would end up making Natalie emotional, and she seemed to be pretty steady compared to when they went to bed the night before. At least she wasn't crying.

"No. I'm okay." He said.

"No you're not! Look at you! Have you slept at all? Adrian, It's not good to…" she said.

"I said, I'm okay!" he said more forcefully than he had intended. She recoiled.

He grimaced at having hurt her, then reached out to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that. I know you're worried about me. Don't. I'm holding up." He replied.

"I have to worry about you. It's what I do." She said.

He sadly smiled. "Don't. Worry about you and Abby. I'll worry about the rest of us."

"Adrian." she said.

"Nat." he replied. "I'm going to make this right. Please, sweetheart. Don't worry. It'll all be okay."


	8. Chapter 8

Abeo put Lee to bed around 9:00 PM and the toddler fell quickly to sleep. This had been a long and disturbing day for the baby, who was still trying to figure out the world around him and whose mind was still very much fixated on wanting to be with his family.

Lee Monk's bedroom was large and somewhat sterile in comparison to the rest of the facility.

He had his own bed – a queen sized behemoth that literally seemed to swallow up his tiny frame when he was laid in its center, and which was dressed in plain white cotton bedding and a white adult-sized blanket made of thin cotton material.

He had a wardrobe which was now filled with identical toddler sized uniforms and whatever underclothes and sleep wear they felt he would need.

He had his own bathroom, in which the Institute had installed a child-sized toilet. He would be expected to handle his own personal needs such as bathing, brushing his teeth and taking a shower. Given that his daddy had taught him these things shortly after he started walking, and he was potty trained, this would not be an issue.

There were no toys in his room. In fact, there was nothing colorful at all. There were no roommates. There were no sounds of children playing. No laughter. If it weren't for a small window with a view of the back of the facility, it would be much like solitary confinement, which was in keeping with the Institute's overall operating procedures. Learning and indoctrination must be fun. All else, a necessary evil.

.

Abeo slept just next door and would serve guard. Except for rare occasions when he would delegate guard duty to another, he was to be with the child 24/7 throughout each day and was to keep him safe from any outside harm. He was also to make sure that Lee did not escape, as one student did several years prior. He took both of these duties very seriously, but more for Lee's sake than for the organization's goals. Outside the compound it was dangerous enough for unaccompanied adults, but would be certain death for a toddler on his own.

When the morning alarm rang, Abeo walked into Lee's room and stood at the end of his bed, softly bidding him awake.

"Master Lee. It is time to wake up." He said.

Lee opened his eyes and sat up. He looked confused as to where he was.

"Good Morning, Master Lee! I trust you slept well?" he asked.

Lee looked around his room, trying to shake the morning brain-fog, and soon recognized Abeo as the man who had been so gentle and kind with him the day before. Ever stoic, Lee crawled across his bed, and then stood up wanting Abeo to hold him.

The man picked him up.

"Gotta potty." were his first words of the morning.

"But, of course." Abeo stated, carrying the child over to his bathroom door and setting him down on the floor. He stood wait while the baby took care of business, and soon, Lee soon walked out of the bathroom and looked up at Abeo. Holding his hands out, he demanded something of Abeo that he only half-understood, seeing that English was not his first language.

"Wipe!" Leland said, waving his hands and looking very much like his father at that moment.

Abeo went into the bathroom and drew out a washcloth from the closet. He wet it with warm water from the sink and then handed it to Lee.

"Here. You may clean your hands off." Abeo said, encouraging self-sufficiency.

Lee looked at him and then the cloth and sighed. It wasn't exactly what he had asked for, but he would make due. He cleaned his hands and then threw the washcloth into the waste basket.

Abeo was shocked.

"Oh, Master Lee! Why did you do that? We do not waste these. We wash them and use them again!" Abeo exclaimed.

Leland looked at Abeo and then at the cloth that Abeo had just pulled from the trash can and scowled. "I no think so." he said, before proceeding to walk straight to his closet and pulling out his own uniform to dress in as if he had done it dozens of times before.

Abeo was amused at the child's many quirks, most of which he had picked up by observing Adrian, was but also very protective. He helped him get dressed, and then walked him down the hallway where he ate a bland but nutritious breakfast and started his first day as the Institute's star pupil.

* * *

At first they tested him in the areas of language skills and reading. He was not yet able to read, but recognized all of his letters and a few simple words. Next, they tested him for vocabulary. On comprehension, he scored highly. Speaking the words was still a skill he needed to master, though he enunciated clearly on what he did say and was picking up vocabulary on a daily basis.

They tested his math and science skills and he excelled. They started with simple, slightly beyond age-appropriate questions such as asking him to point to a number as they said it. He didn't miss a single time. Then, they worked on equations and he tested out at a 3rd -4th grade level in Mathematics. For science, they found that he already knew the basics of internal human anatomy, as well as concepts found in 1st grade curriculum for botany, zoology and elementary physics. Finally, they played memory games with him and were amazed at how well he could not only remember what he had seen and heard, but could then show that he knew these things when requested. All in all, though they would not test him for IQ until he was at least 6, he was already showing that he was of superior intelligence which made the masters at the school very happy.

* * *

At the end of the day, Abeo took this assessment and brought it to Castillo's private quarters as he had been instructed to do. Upon reading the report, Castillo then picked up the telephone and called New York to share the news with Lee's sponsor.

The first sounds that Castillo heard through the telephone receiver were those of violent coughing. A few minutes passed, and the individual finally spoke.

"_Castillo." [cough] " I am s-surprised to hear from you. I trust this is good news?"_ the winded voice said on the other end of the phone.

"Yes. Exceptionally good. Lee Monk is everything you advertised him to be. For his age, he appears to be a wonderful example of raw genius that we can tap into and shape, scoring far higher in all categories than we would expect, perfect for our work at the institute." Castillo said.

"_Excellent. How is he handling the transition emotionally? The father was always a bit of a basket case."_ The voice state.

"He is transitioning. He likes one of our guards named Abeo. We have made him Abeo's ward. While he did have some emotional disturbance over the missed family, he seems mostly calm now. I believe in time he will forget the Monks." Castillo said.

"_Good. That IS good news, Castillo. [cough] Now that we have the child of Adrian and Natalie Monk, I want that child to become MY legacy. I will never have the opportunity to live out my life as I wanted to live it, so Lee Monk and the wreckage he leaves in his parent's lives will be my final victory_." The voice said.

"You are still planning on putting a sum in trust for his care then?" Castillo asked.

_"Yes. What good will it do me? My reward is first, knowing that I have caused the Monks to suffer as much as I have – not through killing them, but through leaving them alive, bereft of Adrian Monk's only son. And second, raising that child to live a life diametrically opposed to everything his biological father stands for." _ The voice said before laughing and then breaking into another ugly coughing spell.

"You can rest peacefully knowing we will do exactly as you have ordered. He will be your legacy. And he will bring us to our greatest hour." Said Castillo before closing out the call and giving his thoughts over to the grande scheme which would soon be unveiled.

* * *

Natalie Monk's alarm went off and she rolled over expecting to see her sleeping husband by her side. Instead, he was not there. She sat up in bed and looked around, seeing his closet door slightly open.

In frustration, she shut her eyes and said with exasperation "Adrian Monk! What are you doing to us? Ughhh!"

Jumping out of bed, she bounded through the house trying to see if he was still around. The only evidence she saw was a sink that was still wet from recent use and a filter with still warm coffee grounds in it was in the trash. Her frustration was becoming anger. She picked up the phone and dialed his cell phone, then heard its distinctive ringtone coming from the kitchen counter.

Slamming the phone on the receiver, she paced the floor as she considered her next move.

At this point, Julie walked into the room rubbing her eyes.

"Mom? What's wrong?" she asked.

Natalie stopped pacing. "It's Adrian. He went to the meeting without me."

Julie replied. "Did you really expect him to bring you? You've been so upset – naturally so. I'm sure he just wants to give you time to get stronger."

"I'm not some fragile lily, Julie! I don't have to be shielded from reality." She said angrily.

"I know that." Julie said softly. "Please, calm down."

"Calm down?! This is my son too and we're supposed to be equal partners in the agency and in life. I deserve to be in on this investigation as much as he does." She responded tersely.

"I didn't say you didn't – nor did Adrian. But cut him a little slack. I'm positive he doesn't mean to cut you out. He's just giving you time to get your land legs back. Meanwhile, he's doing what he can do to find Lee." She answered.

"Julie. That's the problem. He's out there _doing _a lot. He's staying busy. As long as he is in that world, he is able to isolate himself from the ugly reality of what has to be going on inside. He can _work_ but he doesn't have to feel. This isn't good. He's not eating right. I don't think he's sleeping at all. It's making me afraid that a major meltdown is going to happen and on a selfish note, I'm not sure right now that I can handled that." Natalie replied.

Julie looked at her. "I get it Mom. I do. But you can't make a person talk if he's not ready."

Natalie looked at her daughter with a look of determined defiance. "Wanna bet?" She went bounding back towards the bedroom.

"Mom! What are you doing?" Julie asked.

Natalie went into their room and pulled out some clothes from her wardrobe. Going into the bathroom she spoke to Julie through the door as she dressed.

"Julie, I need you to stay with Abby today. I'm heading downtown to the FBI hub to get myself included on my son's investigation." She said.

"But Mom, you're in no better emotional condition than Adrian." Julie replied.

The door opened and Natalie grabbed a pair of boots and sat on the bed, tugging them onto her feet.

"Maybe so. But I do think I'm more in touch with those broken emotions. I simply cannot afford for Adrian to go into a psychological break. I need him too much. Especially now." She said, as she stood and walked out of the bedroom, grabbed the keys to the SUV, and headed to the FBI hub in downtown Boston.

* * *

At the hub, Leland Stottlemeyer watched with a look of worry as his longtime friend Adrian rubbed his forehead, mentally trying to jog his own memory concerning people that he might know that were connected with New York. He looked rough, with dark circles now surrounding his eyes an unsteadiness in his gait. Randy noticed it too and was also concerned, but Leland had known Monk for too long and too well and could recognize the signs. The course he was on was not sustainable.

As they waited for the arrival of the lead investigator, he leaned over to Adrian and said, "You okay there, buddy?"

Adrian looked up at him in an exhausted stupor. "Huh? Yeah. I'm…I'm fine. What is keeping these guys?"

"Who knows. You know how this place is run." Leland replied.

"Yes. I do." He shut his eyes and yawned. "I was trying to think…When I was working with them…did I run into anyone in New York? And…" Monk said, stopping mid-sentence as his body began to lose its battle with fatigue.

Leland looked at Adrian and then at Randy and then back to Adrian. "Monk!" he said, snapping him awake.

Adrian shook his head. "What's keeping these guys?" he said in a bit of a daze

"How much sleep have you had?" Leland asked, pointedly.

Adrian looked at his watch. "Too much work to do. Who has time to sleep?"

Leland and Randy looked at one another and shook their heads.

"Listen Monk. You are not a robot. You have to let your body and your mind rest." Leland replied.

"I'm fine." Adrian said to the other two, who were unaware that the door had opened at that moment.

"You're not fine, Monk. A murderer is out there and has your child, and you're…" Randy said.

"A murderer?" said Natalie, entering the room.

The three men stood and turned towards the door, then suddenly became very quiet.

"Natalie!" Adrian gasped.

Natalie's expression was one of anger and betrayal.

"A murderer has our son? And just when were you going to tell me this, Adrian?" she asked.

Adrian was at a loss for words. "I, uh…"

She clenched her jaw.

"I know what you're trying to do, and you need to stop. I deserve to know the truth and you're trying to shield me because you think I'm too fragile to handle it. Well, I'm not. Now, what is going on with our son? Who is it that has him? Is it this Jeffers?" she asked.

Adrian tried to think of anything he could say to keep her away from that subject.

"Natalie, I don't think you're too fragile. I know you're strong. But…I just can't talk about this with you right now." He said.

"You can't talk about it with _me_? Why not?" she said, looking around the room for papers or anything that might clue her in as to what was really going on.

"What are you hiding, Adrian?" she said, as she noticed a manilla folder on the edge of the desk with Adrian's writing on it. She grabbed it and opened it up to a photocopy of the note that the kidnapper had left.

"Natalie…don't …" Adrian said, reaching towards the folder but being too far away to grab it.

While he stood anxiously to the side, she read the note and then the attached article about Belinda Parson's murder, complete with notes in Adrian's hand. Her lips parted, and she set down the folder, realizing the implications.

"The Kidnappers…They found out about us from the newspaper…and you believe that they killed Parsons to find out where we lived?" she asked, first staring straight ahead but then turning to face Adrian.

He nodded.

"But why couldn't you tell _me _this?" she asked.

"What?" he asked.

"You said you couldn't tell _me_. Obviously you can tell others. You're here at the FBI. You kept the note from _me_, because of _why_?" she asked.

"I, um.." Adrian fumbled for words. "I didn't..."

"Oh my gosh! Do you think _I'm_ somehow to blame for this?" she asked, taking a step back.

"Natalie…No!" he replied.

"You do! Don't you? That's why you've been avoiding me. That's why you won't talk. I thought it was to spare my feelings. But no. You don't trust me." She said.

"Now Natalie…wait….you've got this all wrong." Adrian said. "Leland, tell her." he said.

"Natalie, Adrian does not blame you." He said.

Natalie looked at Stottlemeyer with anger. "And you knew too? You... and Randy! You all knew! Well, thanks a lot guys! And here I thought we were equal partners. Guess not." She said, as she threw the folder back on the desk and marched out the door.

* * *

Adrian turned to follow her, but she had sprinted down the hallway towards an open elevator door.

"Natalie! Wait!" he said, trying to catch up. He arrived at the door just in time to see Natalie's angry eyes filled with tears looking at him as the doors closed.

Stottlemeyer and Disher came up behind him as he stumbled backwards. He put his hand up to his head and tried to process what had just happened.

"Where did she go?" asked Disher.

Adrian turned around and leaned against the wall for support. "She left! She's gone!"

He bent over, resting his hand on his knees and then looked up with utter fatigue. "Oh, Leland! This is such a mess!"

Leland put his hand on Adrian's shoulder.

"I know it is, buddy. I know it is. What do you want to do now?" Leland asked.

Adrian stood up. "I…I don't know. I don't know what to do. Obviously, I can't let her believe that I blame her for anything." he said taking a few unsteady steps towards the office, followed closely by Stottlemeyer and Disher. He took a few more steps. "It's just one more thing that I've got to fi…." He said as the world around him suddenly started spinning. He blinked hard and shook his head. Looking down, he threw out his hands trying to keep from falling over. He flexed his right hand which had begun to tingle.

"Monk? Are you okay?" Leland asked.

Suddenly, Adrian felt a sharp pain in the middle of his chest and his knees gave way. Stottlemeyer caught him before he hit the floor.

Looking up at Leland, he said. "Can't…breathe…"

Alarmed, Randy launched into action.

"Is there a doctor in the house?" Disher yelled. "A doctor?"

"Randy, don't look for a doctor around here. Call an ambulance." Stottlemeyer ordered, even as he unbuttoned Monk's collar for him, giving room for him to breathe. "What are you feeling right now? Do you feel pain in your chest?" he asked.

Adrian shook his head. "Sharp pain in chest. Heart is racing, and I feel dizzy. Fingers feel numb."

"Any pain in your shoulder?" Stottlemeyer asked.

Adrian closed his eyes. "No." he said, as he began to perspire.

"Okay. Randy's calling an ambulance. You may be having a heart attack." Leland said, allowing Monk to lay still against his leg and chest while they awaited for help to arrive.

* * *

Stottlemeyer and Disher followed the ambulance to the hospital, attempting to call Natalie along the way. Their calls went straight through to voice mail. Meanwhile inside the ambulance, Paramedics were just finishing up on an ECG to assess Adrian's condition.

Laying on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on his face, he felt a little better. His respiration had returned to normal and he no longer had the sharp pain in his chest nor the tingling in his hands.

"Mr. Monk. It looks like we may have good news. At least at an initial glance, you did not have a heart attack." Said the lead paramedic.

Adrian shook his head in relief, not wanting to waste time in the hospital when he could be working to find Lee. He closed his eyes and nodded off to sleep

* * *

Along the coast, Natalie had parked her car and was taking a walk along the beach to let off a little steam before heading home. She was hurt, confused, afraid and stuck between a feeling of needing her husband so badly and wanting to kill him. A murderer had their boy, and Adrian didn't think she needed to know that? Clearly, he must not trust her, or so her trauma-stricken mind was telling her.

* * *

The next things that Adrian experienced were the sights of the lights on the ceiling of the hospital E.R. and the voice of Sharona Disher checking on the patient.

"Adrian. Adrian, can you hear me?" she said.

He opened his eyes. He no longer had the mask on his face and he could hear through the monitor that his heart rhythm was perfectly normal. He could see Leland and Randy standing off in the background next to the curtain, but turned to face his former nurse again.

"Sharona." He said.

"Yeah. It's me. You had a bit of a scare." She said.

He had no problem recalling everything that led up to the collapse and what happened thereafter.

"They said in the ambulance, no heart attack?" he asked.

"That's right. ECG is normal, as are your cardiac enzymes." She replied.

He closed his eyes again. "That's good."

Leland stepped forward. "They asked if you have been under any stress recently."

With his eyes still closed, Adrian said "a little."

Leland and Sharona looked at each other and then back at Adrian.

"I told them what you've been going through and the fact that you're not sleeping or eating properly. The doctor wants to keep you overnight so you can rest." Leland replied.

Adrian opened his eyes wide and furrowed his brow. "No. I can't just sit around. I need to get busy."

Sharona pushed him back into the bed.

"You ain't going nowhere. Rest. We're trying to reach Natalie." She said.

Adrian exhaled. "Natalie." was his sad response. "She hates me."

Sharona sighed and rolled her eyes. "She doesn't hate you. She's just mad at you, and I would be too. Though it does sound like she's come up with some wrong conclusions."

"No. She hates me." He replied, closing his eyes. "She hates me…I've ruined it all.." he said trailing off.

Sharona frowned and looked at the two other detectives.

"This is ridiculous." She said, walking away from the bed. "These two should be joining together and instead they're tearing each other apart."

"I tried to tell him." Stottlemeyer said.

"Well, I can't just sit here and watch our best friends destroy each other's lives. They need each other too much. They _love_ each other too much." She replied.

"What are you going to do?" Randy asked.

Sharona thought for a moment and the looked at her husband and Stottlemeyer. "I'm going to stage an intervention."


	9. Chapter 9

Natalie had been walking for about an hour when she checked her cell phone only to find that its battery had run down. Anxious that she might have missed a call concerning Lee, she turned around and walked quickly back to her car where she could charge the phone. Her heart stood still when the phone powered up and she heard the chime of 5 notifications.

"Leland's been trying to call", she said, anticipating that he had some news about the case.

Unsettled, she dialed his number.

"Natalie? Where have you been? I've been trying to get ahold of you." he said from the other end of the line.

"Leland. I'm sorry. I was out walking by the beach and my phone battery ran out. I just got back to the car. Please tell me you have news on Lee." She said.

Leland paused. Of course, that would be first and foremost on her mind. "No dear, I wish I could. But we've heard nothing. This is about Adrian."

"Adrian? Well, tell him I don't want to talk to him." She said.

"Natalie." Stottlemeyer replied, attempting to reason with her.

"Don't Natalie me! Adrian is off in his own little world right now and until he's willing to come back and talk about what is going on, I'm really not…" she answered.

"He's in the hospital." Leland interrupted, stopping her rant.

"What?" she asked, feeling the blood drain from her face. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"He will be. Right after you left, he had an episode. We thought at first that it was his heart…" Leland said.

"Oh no!" she replied.

"…But the doctors ran some tests and say that it was some sort of a panic attack." He replied.

Natalie grew silent. She was thankful that he was okay, but also had been feeling like something like this was about to happen, and at this particular moment, she didn't know how she felt about it.

"Natalie? Are you still there?" he asked.

"Which hospital?" she replied.

"Massachusetts General. Sharona is his nurse. The doctor thinks he will be fine but wanted to keep him for observation overnight. He's not being the most cooperative patient in the world though. He's fighting them right now so he can get back out and work some more."

"Of course, he is. Tell Sharona I'll drop by the house and pick up something I can sleep in and then drive on down." she replied.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Leland replied.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Listen. Monk has been trying to keep us from worrying you. He doesn't even know we called." Stottlemeyer replied.

"D #$it Leland! That's what I'm talking about! I feel like a stranger in my own marriage. Enlighten me! Why is he doing this?" she asked.

"Natalie. I don't know. What I do know is tonight is probably not the best time for you to come by. He is pretty agitated, with the staff here and the last thing we want is for there to be more conflict. They plan on giving him something to make him sleep, so he probably wouldn't know you were here anyway. Why don't you stop by in the morning?" he said.

Natalie shook her head. "You know this does not make me happy." She replied.

"I understand. But, he's in good hands tonight. Just concentrate on getting some rest yourself, and then stop by in the morning when he is a little less…surly." Leland suggested.

"Fine. Thanks for letting me know." She said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

Bright and early in the morning, Adrian woke up with the distinct feeling that he was being watched. He opened one eye, trying to see what it was he was sensing, and opened the second when he focused in on Natalie's face looking over at him from a chair beside his bed.

"Good Morning." She said, upon seeing that he was awake.

"Good Morning!" he said with a tone of pleasant surprise. "How long have you been here?"

"About an hour. I would have come last night, but Leland told me no." She replied. "You know, you put quite a scare into all of us."

"I didn't mean to." He replied.

"I know you didn't mean to, but you did." She replied. A few seconds passed and she leaned forward, looking at him eye to eye. "Adrian, are you going to listen to me now? I've been telling you that the course you were on was not good. Can you slow down a little and just talk things out?"

"Natalie. I wish I could. But, I can't just stop on this case." He said.

"I'm not asking you to stop. I'm asking you to be smart about it. You're not going to bring Lee home any quicker if you make yourself sick, and I know you don't trust me right now because of my stupid mistake in talking to that report…" she said.

"Natalie! Stop! What you're saying is just not true. I trust you with..with everything!" he said.

"Then what? If you aren't blaming me for this, what? Talk to me Adrian! I'm your wife! Please! For our sake!" she pleaded.

"Natalie, it's just…I…well, it's like this….I really can't." he said.

"You can't or you won't? Listen, I've been very patient throughout all of this, but I'm about to put on the gloves. Either you start talking or…" she said.

"Or, he's going to get a special visitor!" Sharona said, walking through the door.

Natalie glared at Adrian and Adrian looked like a guilty dog.

"Hi, Sharona." He said, lowly.

"Hello, Adrian! Natalie!" she replied, cheerfully. "You'll never guess who I just happened to run into out in the hallway!"

The Monks looked suspiciously towards one another and then back towards Sharona.

"Who?" Natalie asked.

Sharona smiled as she stepped a little way into the hallway, then motioned with her head and hands to someone the Monks could not see telling the person that he should come on in.

Within a few seconds, a man walked up through the door dressed in a collarless shirt and a blazer, with his hands intertwined in front of him and a big smile on his face.

"Adrian my friend! It has been a long time!" he said.

Adrian sat up. "Dr. Bell?!"

Neven Bell walked in and shook Adrian's hand and then bent over and took Natalie's hand, giving her a little bow before turning back to his old patient.

"Dr. Bell, what are you doing here?" Adrian asked.

"Oh. I was down in Nantucket visiting my sister when Sharona gave me a call." He said.

"Just happened to run into him?" Natalie asked, looking at Sharona.

Sharona laughed. "I may have just happened to run into him, after I called him. Whichever way. It's not important. Enjoy your reunion" she said as she shut the door.

Bell walked over to the side of the room and pulled up a chair, sitting it on the right side of Adrian's bed.

"So…Sharona told me about the difficulty that you've encountered. That's really awful. Have you received any news?" he asked.

Natalie frowned. "I don't know. Ask Adrian. Apparently everything is his little secret." She said, crossing her arms in front of her and looking to the left.

Adrian rolled his neck and scrunched his face.

"Dr. Bell…this…this isn't going to work. It's not right." He said.

"What's not right, Adrian?" Bell asked.

"Well…for one, you should be on the opposite side of me. And for the other thing, I should be dressed in something other than a hospital gown." He replied.

Bell laughed. "Ah. I see you haven't changed much my friend. I'll be happy to move my chair. And, if you want to go get changed, I can wait."

Adrian looked at Bell and then Natalie, and motioned for them both to close their eyes.

"Adrian, I've seen everything!" she said.

He jerked himself out of the bed, taking the sheet with him.

"You haven't seen me in a dress!" he replied, causing her for the first time to emit a slight giggle.

A few minutes later, Adrian came out fully dressed and took the remaining chair in the room and sat it across from Dr. Bell.

Looking at Natalie, he studied the configuration and referenced his group therapy sessions to decide exactly in which order the seating arrangement should be. In the end, Adrian sat on the right, Natalie in the middle towards the wall and Bell on the left where his therapist chair used to sit. He nodded, indicating he was through and they could sit and each person took their seats.

"So…it's quite the traumatic thing that has happened to you two." He said, as Adrian eyed the spacing between Bell and Natalie versus Bell and himself.

"Natalie, could you…" he said, motioning with his hands.

"Adrian, don't! It's okay. It doesn't have to be perfect." She replied.

"But it's not balanced." He said.

She sat in the chair with arms crossed refusing to move, as Adrian sat forlorn wanting her to move just a couple of inches towards his direction.

One minute passed. Two minutes. Finally, Natalie gave in.

"Oh for crying out loud!" she said, standing up and moving the chair exactly where he wanted it to be. "Okay now?" she asked.

"Perfect." He replied.

Dr. Bell sat quietly observing the two with a slight grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye. He had been retired for several years, but being back with Monk had brought back all sorts of fond memories. Of course, since the time that Adrian had been his patient, he stood amazed at how much Monk was able to accomplish which is why he made the special trip at Sharona's calling. The last thing he wanted to happen was for Adrian to regress and lose everything that he had gained over the past several years.

"So, tell me what's going on." Neven said, looking at both Natalie and Adrian to start.

Finally, Adrian said it. "Our son, he's missing. He's been kidnapped."

"Any idea who did it?" Bell asked. Natalie looked at Adrian who looked up at her.

"We know who the likely culprit is based upon our daughter Abby's description. A man named Jeffers. But, we think he's just one of the players. We don't know where Lee has been taken and we don't know who else is involved. We…The perpetrators left a note near our front door. It was signed by someone calling themselves 'Your Friend in New York.' I've been trying to wrack my brain…and I know Natalie has too… for three days, trying to think who this person could be."

"I see, and you still don't know?" Bell asked.

"No. We've got nothing." Natalie said.

"That's awful." Bell replied. "How are you both holding up?"

The couple looked at each other knowing that they had very different views of how the other one was 'holding up.'

"It's been hard. Very hard." Natalie volunteered. "I cry a lot. I worry a lot. I worry that my son is out there someplace without us and he's afraid and we can't do a thing to help him." She said.

Bell shook his head in empathy. "You poor dear. That's horrible. What about you, Adrian? How have you been handling it?" he asked.

Adrian looked down towards the floor. "I'm hanging in there. I'm working to find him." He said.

"Notice what he said there, Dr. Bell. _He's_ working, not _we're_ working. He has shut me out. He won't talk. He won't share information with me." She said.

"Is that true? Adrian? Why don't you want to share information with Natalie?" Neven asked.

"I don't think he trusts me." She said.

Adrian grimaced and looked up at her. "You know that's not true."

"Do I? _How_ am I supposed to know this Adrian? You've hardly said a word the past three days, and only then because you were forced to because I found out." She replied.

"I'm trying to work, Nat. I'm trying to bring our boy back. I can't take time to stop and discuss every little thing that goes on." He said.

"Every little thing, like the guy who has Leland murdered someone to get his address?" she asked.

"Natalie." He replied.

"Or how about this one? That your bimbo wife is the one who got our son's face in the newspaper to begin with making him a target." She said with a raised voice. "How about that little thing? Things like that, Dr. Bell…he doesn't trust me to tell me the truth."

"I am trying to protect you!" he said.

"I'm a big girl, Adrian and I'm no dummy. You're trying to protect me by doing what? Shielding me? Building a little cocoon around me so that the outside world won't disturb me? Cut me off? Shelter me from you?!" she said.

Adrian stood up, and walked to the closet reaching into a bag for his personal affects. As he pulled out his wallet, he had his back turned to Natalie and Bell.

"Dr. Bell, I'm sorry that Sharona wasted your time. But, I'm just not up for a session today." He said, putting his wallet in his pocket.

"And just where are you going?" Natalie asked with intensity.

"I'm going back out to search." He replied, threading his belt through the belt loops of his pants.

"Adrian, come back here and sit. Please, talk it out." Bell said.

Adrian looked at Bell and Natalie and then lowered his head.

"I'm sorry. I just can't. Not right now." He replied.

He walked toward the door and Natalie stood up and ran to stop him.

"Adrian, don't you dare walk away!" she said, standing in front of him.

He looked her in the eyes, knowing he couldn't give her what she wanted from him at this time.

"Natalie. I can't. Please, let me go." He said.

She clenched her jaw as angry tears began to form. "Adrian, if you walk out that door, don't bother coming home."

He shut his eyes and stiffened, tears beginning to fill his own eyes. He stood quietly for about 30 seconds but did not turn around.

"I'm sorry, Natalie. I just can't." he said, opening the door and beginning the walk down the hallway. He had just taken four steps down the hall when Natalie stood in the doorway with bitter tears pouring down her face.

"That's it, Jack! You just go right ahead and walk away. Never mind about your wife and children. We won't be affected at all." She snapped.

Adrian stopped dead in his tracks and became as stiff as a board. Slowly, he turned his head toward her, revealing an expression like none she had ever seen – particularly directed at her. His eyes brimmed with tears fueled by anger, and guilt and excruciating pain, and his lips and chin began to quiver. Quite frankly, the look frightened her, and her own expression showed it. She raised her hand to her mouth knowing that she had crossed a line.

"Oh, Adrian." She said quietly.

He turned his head away from her, bowing it towards the ground and she saw great drops of water falling from his face to the floor. As he raised a shaking hand up to his face to wipe away the tears, Dr. Bell walked past her through the door and stood in front of him, placing one hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Adrian. It's okay to let it out….Come….Come back inside and let's talk it through." Bell said softly.

Adrian looked up at him through the eyes of a man crying for mercy, then looking back towards the ground, he slowly turned and walked back into the room. As he walked beside Natalie, he kept his head down, but reached out one arm and pulled her to his side, walking the rest of the way to their seats.

She pulled her chair up right beside him and held on to his hand, waiting patiently for him to say anything at all.

Finally, Dr. Bell broke the silence. "Adrian, tell me. What was going on in your mind out in that hallway? With your interaction with Natalie? Were you angry at her that she had accused you of being like your father?"

Natalie braced herself for an accusatory answer, but at this point, she was willing to take anything just so long as he was being honest with his feelings.

He stared painfully ahead, not at any person but more towards the bottom of the chair.

"No. I wasn't angry at her." he finally said.

"Then what were you thinking? Tell me, what were you feeling?" Dr. Bell asked.

Adrian slowly looked up at the Doctor who had been his friend for so many years. "Shame." He replied.

Bell and Natalie were surprised.

"Shame? About what, Adrian?" he asked.

Adrian looked down at his hand that was being held by Natalie, and then looked back at Bell.

"Shame… that she was right. I am like Jack." He replied.

Natalie, furled her brow. "What?" she asked. "You're nothing like Jack." She said.

"Shhhhh…. Natalie. Now, you wanted him to talk. Let him talk." Bell admonished. "Adrian, tell me, why do you feel like you are like your father?"

Adrian closed his eyes in pain and shook his head. "I can't say."

"Adrian, it will never get any better if you don't speak." Bell replied.

Adrian looked sadly up at Bell. "It's just, it's like this…I am afraid."

Bell, looked at Natalie and then at Adrian. "Of what?"

"I'm afraid if I open that door… that I'll never get it shut again." He said.

"You're afraid you will regress? You're afraid if you show your emotions that you won't be able to rein them back in?" Bell asked.

Adrian swallowed, then shook his head yes, squeezing Natalie's dainty hands.

"Well, I'll tell you what Adrian. You're not going to have to get the door shut again on your own. You have me here and you have Natalie and we're not going to let you get drug back into all that. Okay? You're not alone. We're here to help." Neven answered.

Adrian looked at the two and then nodded his head.

"Now, why do you feel like you're like your father Jack?" Bell asked.

"Because…I failed my family." Adrian replied. His eyes whelmed up with tears, and then shut causing a stream to flow down his cheeks. "I had one job. To protect my family. To protect wife. To protect my kids. And I failed them."

"Oh, Adrian, you didn't fail us!" Natalie said, reaching towards him.

"No Natalie. I did. It's my fault. I looked away, just for a second. But that's all it took. I looked away, and they got him." He began to sob. "I…I s-should have been watching the baby… but I was…I was appeasing my own stupid vanity. And these people grabbed our son…they took our boy, Natalie. Our little Leland" he bit his lips and closed his eyes. "And, I'm the one who broke it, so I have to fix it…I'm the one who failed. I have to make it right. I have to…" he said, turning and burying his head in Natalie's shoulder and melting into her tearful embrace.

Dr. Bell stood up and walked over and shut the door, then walked over by the window in order to give the couple their privacy.

For the next ten minutes, they stayed there that way. Holding tightly to one another. Wounded. Hurting. Broken, together.

Finally, the crying stopped, and through swollen eyes Natalie pressed her forehead against his and looked into his eyes. As she ran her fingers through his hair shensaid "Adrian. I'm so sorry."

He looked up at her. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"No. I do. I wasn't understanding. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard. I should have…known, that you blamed yourself." She said.

"That's because I'm responsible." He replied.

Dr. Bell walked back over and sat in his chair. "No, you're not Adrian. I know it feels like you are, but you have always demanded too much of yourself and this is one of those times. You can't watch your children and never look away. First, it's not physically possible. But second, it places them in a sort of prison – which is exactly the opposite of what you want for them."

"But it's my responsibility to protect them." Adrian replied.

"I know you feel that, and that is good. So many men in this world today don't feel that responsibility. But you can only take it so far. And there are other things you can and should do that can help to bolster your home, that I'm thinking kinda fell apart here." Bell answered.

"Such as?" Natalie asked.

"You see, sitting here observing the two of you, I see a couple very much in love and willing to sacrifice everything for the other but presently having a very bad time of communicating difficult emotions to one another effectively. Adrian, you wrongly believed that you 'broke' the situation with your family by failing to stop something bad from happening. It didn't have to be a kidnapping. It could have been an accident. He could have gotten hit by a car, or even fallen and skinned his knee. You felt false guilt because you took the risk of allowing your child to be a child, and something bad happened. That wasn't right. But, in your mind, you broke it, you fix it.

Natalie on the other hand is hurting and knows that talking things through really has a healing effect. You do too, or I failed at so many years of sessions. But I think you forgot. You went out and made yourself sick trying to bring your son back, when in reality, at that point in time, the most effective thing you could have done for both yourself and Natalie was to talk and to listen. Classic male/female dynamic. Oh…there are plenty of exceptions, but not this time." Bell replied.

The Monks looked over at each other and for the first time a slight smile came upon both of their faces. They had missed each other's presence, and it felt good feeling that oneness once again.

"Is there hope for us, Doc?" Adrian asked.

"Oh, I'm not even worried about you. You've taken the first step right here. You just have to take some time to remind yourselves about what makes the other tick, and you'll be fine." Bell responded. Standing up, he took out his wallet and handed them a business card.

"Here. This card has my home number and my cell number. I want you to call it so we can continue this conversation. I may no longer be in practice, but I am your friend and I care about what is going on here. You're both going to make it through this, and I can't wait for the day you call me and tell me that precious child is safely home once again."

* * *

The Monks left the hospital and travelled back to their home in Swampscott. For the longest time they sat cuddled up next to one another on the couch, watching their darling Abby play in the floor. When at last the day was spent, they put her to bed together, and then walked arm in arm into their room where they allowed the healing balm of sleep to comfort and renew them in preparation for their work the following day. This time, Adrian would not run off without her. This time, they were a team and finally on the same page with one another in their quest to bring their precious son back home where he belongs.


	10. Chapter 10

_Authors Note: Wow! Thank all of you for your really great reviews and continued support - especially to Alex Hoodle, KittyKat06, Country2776, New Reader, and 'Guest' for such valuable input on the last chapter. You blew me away! __I'm so happy to have met you all! __Also, a special hat tip to KittyKat06 for planting the "Jack" seed in my mind a few weeks ago. I didn't play it exactly as suggested, but Monk's angst over being like his dad did start with a conversation with her. _

_The last chapter was an emotional one to develop and write. As a result, I didn't want to interrupt it with an Author's Note and have saved said note for this chapter. Just would like to address some comments/concerns._

_First, Leland Monk's maturity is based upon a few things. 1)In Monk's 100th case, Monk's childhood babysitter refers to Monk as a remarkable child that would change his own diaper and then crawl over to the waste basket and throw it away. Lee is no longer a crawler, so I figured, if he is mini-Monk, then he'd be a bit more advanced than that. Lee is Adrian's son all the way. 2)I studied some child prodigies and found one example where a boy was multiplying two 3 digit numbers together in his head at age 4. (Not something I would say I could easily do today). Using that as backdrop, Lee is multiplying two digit numbers at age two. Not unreasonable for a prodigy. Also, there are several articles which mention how much more emotionally mature gifted children are than the average kid. Sometimes this can result in acting out, but Leland is more subdued and loves to take in all the details of his world just like his father. He's always evaluating the situation, and on occasion, if his world doesn't feel right, he will react emotionally. _

_Finally, Adrian and Natalie's personalities and relationships now versus when the show was running. We are now 10 years post show. I see that Monk has been able to move forward with his life and many of his problems have receded. They aren't gone, but being with Natalie helps ground him. He adores her. Monk in love, even on the show, is a far different person than Monk the stinker. He may go through his grumpy moments, but at the end of the day, he would give his life for her and she for him. _

_Again, thank you all so much. I appreciated each review and took every suggestion seriously along the way. I don't take most comments that could be construed as negative as 'casting shade' either if they are coming from a good place. Some comments infer a deviation from the show's story, but even the show was not always consistent with itself at times (did Monk meet Trudy in college or when he was a detective. Was Jack a failed Linen salesman or did he write school books? Monk's 25th reunion was in 2006 which puts graduation around 1981. Yet Trudy says that Molly, was born in 1983 before she knew Monk). All that said, I do try to be stay true to Canon. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. _

* * *

The Monks arrived at the office at around quarter 'til nine, walking through the front doors, arm in arm, in a decidedly placid mood.

"Good morning, Heather!" Adrian stated, nodding at the team's admin as they walked past her desk.

"Good morning to you, Adrian. Natalie. Great seeing you guys. Ambrose and I have been worried." She said. "Oh…Leland told me that if I saw you, I was to send you straight back to his office."

"Okay. Has he heard anything?" Natalie asked.

"I don't think they have anything new on Lee, but he was talking with the FBI guy yesterday and I get the feeling he may know a little more about the situation." Heather stated.

"Great. Thank you, Heather." Said Natalie.

"Yes, thank you. Adrian replied.

* * *

As the couple walked into Stottlemeyer's office, they saw Leland and Randy leaning over a table looking at a map.

Stottlemeyer looked up at the duo. "Good Morning, Monk! Welcome back!" he said, smiling at Natalie, then returning to his original focus.

She figured Leland could be counted on to downplay what had happened two days prior, and was pleased at how smoothly she was integrated back into their little group.

"What do you have there?" Adrian asked, surveying the scene as he moved away from Natalie to Stottlemeyer's side.

"It's a map of Argentina." Leland replied.

Disher looked up at them. "Last known home of Christophe Jeffers." He stated.

Natalie walked over by Adrian, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Did the agent from the FBI tell you that?" she asked.

Leland stood, walked over to his desk and picked up a manilla envelope.

"Yes. Take a seat. I'll catch you up." He said, handing Monk the envelope.

Natalie and Adrian sat down in chairs immediately across from Stottlemeyer's desk as Randy sat on the desk's edge and Leland sat in his normal desk chair.

Adrian perused the contents of the envelope with Natalie and Leland filled them in on what had been said with the agent the day before.

"Yesterday, Randy and I spoke with special agent Jensen from the Missing Persons Department of the FBI. He informed me that thanks to the surveillance video from the Parson's crime scene and Abby's identification of 'the man in the long coat', he has now connected Jeffers with at least 3 other kidnappings in the United States and perhaps another two in the U.K." Leland said.

"Oh no! Babies?" Natalie asked.

"Not babies. Children ranging from age 5½ through 8. Lee appears to be an exception that we need to pursue. All of the children in question are gifted. Taken from schools and from homes in much the same manner that Lee was taken." He replied.

"Because Abby was a witness, they suggested that her testimony could be used to bolster the case against Jeffers on kidnapping charges." He continued.

"Absolutely not! I'm not letting a prosecutor grill my child." Adrian said.

"I agree, she's only 2, and been through enough!" Natalie replied.

Leland smiled through his eyes. "Her godfather agrees, and I already told them, no. I committed that we would find evidence in some other way."

Adrian grinned at his long time friend. "Thank you for looking out for us."

Leland nodded. "It wasn't even in question."

Monk pulled out a photograph that gave a good view of the man's face.

"That photo was from his days as an investment banker. He took off with a little over two million bucks in 2004. Disappeared for a while. Showed up in Latin America. Supposedly married a woman down there." Randy said.

"Name was Marcita Castillo. Disappeared about 4 years after they married." Leland continued. "Cops believe that he had something to do with her disappearance, but never proved it. After that, he has appeared sporadically here and there, always resurfacing in Argentina and always evading capture."

"Looks like he got a bit sloppy on the Parsons murder." Adrian said.

"Yes. FBI is very interested now, and enthusiastic that with us on the case as well, they may finally nab the guy." Randy responded.

"Do they think that Argentina is where he is now? Is that where he has Lee?" Natalie asked.

"They don't know. There were several outbound planes the evening of Lee's kidnapping, but none of them went to Argentina. They've contacted the airport looking for surveillance video and are combing through that now." Leland replied.

"Why would a bank thief suddenly take to kidnapping children?" Adrian asked.

"The police do not know. They believe, it could be through other connections that Jeffers may have in the area." Randy replied.

"Do they know who these connections are?" Adrian continued.

"Yes and No. There is a Castillo family that lives in La Población. That's what we were just looking at on the map. That family is quite large and was associated with the wife. We're thinking that this may be a good place to start in terms of finding out who his associates are. You guys up for a road trip?" Leland asked.

Natalie looked over at Adrian. "What about Abby?"

"Maybe we could bring Julie along." He suggested.

Natalie shook her head affirmatively. "I think her passport is up to date. I can ask if she would be willing to go."

"Yes. I think you should." Adrian replied.

"Randy, if you could, look into getting us tickets to fly down. Nearest city is probably Cordoba. Looks like we will need tickets for five adults and one child." Leland directed.

"Okay. First class or coach?" Monk asked.

"Well statistically speaking, seats in back of the wing would be safer." Randy replied.

"We'll take a seat there then." Adrian answered.

"Of course, if the plane crashes, you could still be badly injured and mangled if you sit back there. Broken bones, broken necks. Various things. Suffering might be greater. If you sat up front, death could be almost instantaneous." Randy said.

"Randy…just get the tickets." Leland replied. "Statistically speaking, air travel is one of the safest ways to get around so worrying about whether or not a plane crashes is pretty nonsensical. Just get whatever you can that has five adult seats together."

"And Natalie and I will go begin the task of packing. What do you think? Eight or Nine bags?" Adrian asked.

"I would only expect we would be down there for a few days." Randy replied.

"Yeah, but here's the thing. Last time I flew south of the border, I brought along a supply of water. It was years ago. Sharona will remember. They stole it all. If I overpack, then I can have my water and my backup water and the backup to my backup." He said.

"Adrian, they have water down in Argentina." Natalie said.

"Yeah, but…it's not the same brand." Adrian replied.

"You've had other brands. Remember, you drank some Fiji water the other day." She said. "Besides, you know they charge you a premium per bag."

"Do I care about what they charge me per bag? I need my water." He said.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Eight bags. Nice even number!"

He smiled. "Now you're thinking like me."

"I know. Heaven help me!" she replied.

* * *

The classroom was small, seating no more than ten students, and on this day it was even smaller with only the last five children to enter the compound present, along with their handlers and Head Master Castillo.

They had given them a few days to acclimate to their new surroundings, and it was now time for their first indoctrination session by Head Master Castillo. Lee Monk sat on the front row, his tiny body being dwarfed by a too large student desk. He was very quiet, remembering Castillo as someone whom he had seen upon arrival and whom he did not trust.

As Castillo stood in front of the class, Abeo kept watch on his ward. He was upset because he knew what was to come and he didn't want that precious child's mind and personality being drained away by the Institute's programming. But, he didn't see any alternatives. If he spoke up, he would be reprimanded and the Institute would take Lee away. There was no questioning of policies allowed. So he remained watchful and silent, just like his charge.

"Children. I'm so glad to see you here this morning. I am Head Master Castillo, leader of the Wellspring Institute. Most of you are here because either your parents sent you here for an education, or because they felt due to your superior intelligence, they could no longer care for you so they gave you away. I know that some of you will remember being taken from your homes or from places near where you lived. That was necessary, because your parents knew you would not come with us if you knew you would never see them again.

We are your parents now. We will nurture and feed you and train you to be leaders in this world system. That is what you are here for. You have been identified as part of the privileged few that when the nations begin to collapse, as they soon will, will be here to pick up the pieces. You are the saviors of humanity, and that is a very great privilege. We will train you for this role. You will know our truth and you will adhere to it. Eventually, you will proclaim it.

While you are in training, there are some rules you must know. First, you are never to question whether or not something you have been told is true. Your teachers are very wise and have received a thorough training by our qualified staff, and there is simply too much to do than to be bogged down answering vain ramblings from a child. You are all intellectually superior – but you are NOT superior to your leaders, yet. One day, you will be like us.

Until then, you must obey everything you are told to do. Anyone acting up or not following the rules will be punished. Initial punishment will consist of being locked in one's room without food or visitors for at least 24 hours. This is for your good. We care for you and your development. We love you. Your parents did not. We will care for you where they would or could not. We are your family. We are your life. If confinement to quarters does not work, physical punishment will follow. Relax. We've rarely had to administer this punishment."

As Castillo spoke, Lee understood, for the most part, what he was saying and looked over to Abeo when he said that his parents had given him away. Abeo did not respond, but knew that the damage was already being done to Lee's little mind. Lee was confused, and instinctively knew what he was being told was a lie. He wanted to cry, but held back the tears and remained emotionless on the surface. Inside, he was becoming very upset.

Castillo continued. "Now, today, children we are going to begin teaching you your new creed. Once you learn it, you will repeat it three times a day every day throughout this first level. It goes like this.

_I am a child of the Wellspring._

_I am here to change the world._

_I am a beacon bringing light._

_I am a savior. My throne will be exalted in time._

_My father and my mother are the Wellspring, _

_And we are one. __I swear this holy oath,_

_that I will loyally and sincerely serve the Wellspring._

_I will be obedient and, if necessary, give my life for its cause._

_I am a child of the Wellspring. __And I will change the world._

Guardians. You are to work with your children until they know the creed. You have two weeks to make sure that they can recite it. If you fail, you will be replaced in your current role, is that understood?"

"Yes. Head Master." Was the unanimous response.

"Very well. Children. Welcome to the Wellspring. It is a privilege for you to be here. Use your time wisely. Learn. Soak it all in. You are the future of the world. You are our saviors. Embrace your destiny, for indeed, it shall be grand." Castillo concluded.


	11. Chapter 11

Leland Monk's morning classes were centered around worldview studies. In these sessions, the instructors recast recent and past history through a lens which showed democracies, republics, and monarchies all in a negative light and instead called for a coalition of the enlightened – a totalitarian regime – in which a council of the wise, under a single ruler, would determine the environment in which everything else operated.

As a two-year-old, Leland hardly understood the inner workings of world politics, since it had never been made an issue in the Monk home. In fact, even though they each had their own opinions on individual issues, the Monks were largely apolitical in how they dealt with life. Even when Adrian worked for the Stoddard administration, he stayed out of the fray of the opinion makers and opted to just do his job and let them do theirs. So, to little Lee, the whole concept was foreign, and not interesting.

Instead, the thoughts which preoccupied young Monk's mind at this juncture were those of disliking the headmaster and wanting to see his parents and sisters again. As the morning wore on, he became more and more irritable – feeling a tremendous sadness that he could not express. It was a loneliness that plagued him and a fear of never seeing those he loved again. This feeling went on unabated until lunch time, where Lee hardly ate a thing.

"Leland. Why are you not eating?" Abeo asked, checking on his pupil.

Lee did not respond, but looked very sullen.

"What is the matter, boy? Are you not feeling well? Perhaps you need a nap." The man said. "Here, come with Abeo. It is all a lot to take in at first. We will let you get some sleep."

Abeo picked Lee up and carried him down the hall to the private quarters. Laying him down in the center of the bed, Abeo shut the blinds and turned on a night light and left the child to sleep alone.

"You get some rest dear little one. Abeo will be just next door when you are ready to awaken."

* * *

The shortest flight from Boston to Cordoba, Argentina was about 18 hours, which after Randy's little pep-talk made Adrian a bit nervous.

"I thought you were no longer afraid of flying." Natalie said, from their seats towards the back of the plane.

"I'm not afraid of flying." Adrian said, with a roll of his neck.

"Then why are you gripping onto the seat tray so hard? Look at you. Your knuckles are all white." She replied.

Adrian released the tray and looked at his hands, then pushed the tray back into position, nervously fidgeting with the locking mechanism three different times until it was lined up perfectly straight. Natalie just observed with a wry grin and raised eyebrows.

"You know I brought some anti-anxiety meds." She said.

"Natalie, you know I don't like to take drugs." He replied.

"This is an herbal supplement. All natural. It'll make you sleepy." She said.

"I don't think so." He responded.

Abby was sitting on the aisle seat across from Adrian and next to Julie and started giggling. He looked over at her and smiled, happy for the distraction.

"And what are you laughing at young lady?" he asked.

"Daddy." She replied. "He's funny when he's fraidy cat."

Natalie and Julie both chuckled at that, as Adrian made it worse by trying to explain away what the child was seeing.

"Well, actually Abby. Daddy has flown many times, and while it may look like Daddy is afraid. Really, he's just being cautious. Do you know what cautious is?" he asked.

Abby looked at him with her big blue eyes and sucked in on her lower lip. Putting one finger up to her cheek, she shook her head no.

"Well, cautious is when someone looks at everything around him to check for prob-LEMs!" he said, just as the plane hit an air pocket. "Whatwasthatwhatwasthatwhatwasthat?!" he said, wildly looking around.

Natalie touched his forearm. "It's okay. It was just a little turbulence." she said. "Just sit back and relax."

"Guess cau-sus not work. Back to bein' fraidy-cat!" Abby said to Julie as she sat back in her seat and giggled.

Natalie bit her upper lip to keep from laughing because Adrian's anxiety was not funny to him. She had to remember from how far he had come. At this point in time, it was a coin toss to how he would react to air travel, so she just planned ahead for whichever eventuality. She reached into her purse and pulled out the supplement.

"Here. I bought them just for you. It's in capsule form and they are all the same color, same size." She said.

Adrian looked up at her through sad eyes. "How do you never get tired of being married to a 'muss'?" he asked.

She took out a tablet and reached out her hand to him with a glass of water. "Because, I don't see you the way you see you."

"How do you see me?" he asked.

"The bravest man I've ever known." She replied.

With that, he took the pill from her and was soon out like a light resting his head on her shoulder for the next few hours.

* * *

At the Institute, Abeo let Leland sleep for a couple of hours then went into his room to wake him up. He was startled when he opened the door only to find the bed empty.

"Oh my goodness! Master Lee?!" he said with alarm, running into the room and touching the bed where the boy had been. The pillow and bedding was still there, but the pillowcase was gone.

He looked into the bathroom and then next to the dresser. Not finding him in either place, he ran outto the door into the hallway and checked the door that led to the outside. It was still locked and latched. So, he returned to the bedroom and checked the window. Likewise, it was locked. Somewhat relieved, he stood quietly next to the bed and listened for any sounds. Soon, he heard a muffled sniff-sniff coming from below. Bending down, he got on his knees and looked under the bed. There was Lee, curled up in fetal position with the pillowcase in his hand like a blanket and his thumb in his mouth.

The sight hurt Abeo's conscience.

"There you are my little man. What are you doing down there?" he asked, looking kindly at Leland's deep brown eyes, full of tears.

"I wanna go home." Lee replied.

Abeo laid down on the ground so that he could talk with the child face to face.

"You are home." He answered.

"I'm no home. I want see Mommy and Daddy." He said, his chin quivering and his eyes pooling up with tears.

Abeo shut his eyes, and shook his head.

"Master Leland. I told you, I will be your Daddy." Abeo said.

Leland's expression turned to anger. "NO!" he said, turning over and crawling out from underneath the bed.

"You are not my Daddy. My Daddy is Adwian! My Daddy is Detective." He said.

"Your Daddy is no longer here. I am here. I will stand in for your daddy." Abeo said.

"No" Lee said, beginning to cry again. "I want Daddy! Not Abeo!"

Abeo sat up and sighed. "Child, you know what Head Master Castillo said today. We are your family now."

"Him a whiar!" Lee replied.

Abeo became alarmed and stood up, going to shut the door.

"You mustn't say that, Master Lee. It can get you in trouble." Said Abeo.

"No care. Him whie. He said that Mommy and Daddy gave me away. Dats a whie!" Lee said angrily.

"Master Lee, come to Abeo." He answered.

"No. I wanna go home." He said, folding his arms.

Abeo walked over and took Lee by his arm, at which point Lee yanked his arm out of Abeo's hand and threw himself down on the floor, kicking and screaming in a tearful rage.

"I want my mommmy! I wanna go home! You no daddy! Mommmmmyyyy! Dadddyyy!" the child cried with a crimson face while sucking back air between sobs.

Abeo's heart broke as he desired to comfort the boy, but knew that he did not have what the boy required. At the same time, he knew that he needed to bring Lee back under control before he drew attention to the fact that there was a problem. He bent down and picked the kicking child up and sat on the bed holding him and rocking him.

"It's alright, Lee. Don't cry. Abeo will find a way to make it right for you. I'm not sure how right now, but you just stay close to me and I will take care of you." Lee's guardian said, holding him closely and patting his back as Lee cried into the kind man's shoulder.

* * *

As Natalie admired the colorful swatches of reds and peaches in the sunset sky, her mind could not depart from Lee. Her life felt so empty without her precious little man, and she would give anything at all just to have him back with them and to have her family complete again. She looked around the cabin and noticed that everyone was asleep and so peaceful at a time when wakefulness only brought a turbulent heart. She prayed for safety for Lee and for her family as a tear rolled down her face for what she had missed and for what she had. If she had any consolation at all it was that she was part of the greatest team around, a team that loved the entire Monk family and would do anything to see them reunited.

She looked back out the window and thought that somewhere under that sky was her little Lee.

"Hang in there, little man. Mommy and Daddy are coming for you. It won't be long." She said, as she laid her cheek on Adrian's head and closed her eyes to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Eduardo Castillo showed himself to be a tall, broad man and an imposing presence as he walked through the door of the Hacienda Hotel in Cordoba, Argentina. With a Cuban cigar in one hand and a pretty señorita on his arm, he had the look of a mob boss and the demeanor of one too. Flanked by two young muscular men of Argentine heritage, he snapped his finger and his entourage took their places. The woman took his jacket for him and retreated to the coat room and the two men stood at his sides as he sat down to have a conversation with his visitors from America.

"My name is Eduardo Castillo, and you are señores, Monk and Stottlemeyer?" he said, as Adrian and Leland took seats in the hotel lobby restaurant across from him.

"Yes, Mr. Castillo. And, coming this way is my wife Natalie and our business partner, Randy Disher from Boston." Adrian replied.

"I see. Welcome to Argentina, gentlemen…lady." he said as Randy and Natalie joined the group and took seats around the table. "Now, if I understood Agent Lopez on the phone, you wanted to talk to me about Christophe Jeffers and his connections in this area?"

"That's right. You see, we are investigating him as part of a homicide investigation and also believe he may have been part of several kidnappings along the way." Stottlemeyer said.

"I see. And the American FBI sent you all the way down to Argentina to inquire if I know of his whereabouts?" he asked.

"Yes. That's right." Leland answered.

"Well. I'm sorry to tell you, I do not." Castillo said, taking a puff on his cigar and placing it in an ashtray on the table. "I have not seen Christophe Jeffers for several years. He married my cousin's daughter, Marcita, and they used to frequent family events – that is before Marcita disappeared." He said.

"Yes. The agent told us about her disappearance. Said that they thought Christophe may have had something to do with it?" Leland said.

"I _know_ he had something to do with it. You see, Marcita was much younger than Christophe when she met him. And Christophe, he came into town with all of those American dollars and swept her off her feet. But, it was not long before the money was not enough to keep her interests. She had been seeing a man named Jose Santiago in the weeks before her 'disappearance.'" He said.

"Seeing, as in having an illicit _sex_ affair?" asked Monk.

"Yes. Christophe was in town working for Marcita's older brother when someone mentioned seeing the two in town together looking, shall we say, 'friendly.' The next morning, she was gone. Jose's body was found on a road heading towards Monte Cristo and another road towards Despeñaderos, and also possibly on a road towards Toledo."

Adrian rolled his neck and Natalie patted him on his leg to comfort him, even as the imagery was a bit much for her.

"That's awful." Leland said. "And the government didn't pick up Jeffers for the crime?"

"No. Not enough evidence." Said Castillo.

"But, he did it." Adrian said.

"Yes, Señor, Monk. He most certainly did." Castillo responded, before leaning forward and taking another puff of his cigar. "And then, he vanished." He continued.

"Vanished? As in left town?" asked Randy.

"We believe so, we had no evidence of where he went." The man replied. "My connections within Argentina run deep, but outside of this area, not so much. We believe that he was helped by another, more distant, cousin of ours by the name of Gerhardt Castillo." He said.

"Gerhardt? That's not a Spanish name." Natalie observed.

"No, Mrs. Monk. It isn't. Gerhardt's father is my father's second cousin from Barcelona. He married a German woman named Hilda Klein from Berlin in 1945. She already had Gerhardt when they met, and my father's cousin, Felipe, adopted the child when he was just an infant. Felipe had been a part of Franco's army during World War 2 and fought under German leadership on the Eastern Front in 1944. That must be where he met Hilda. Anyway, after the war, they fled Germany and went to Spain and from Spain to Argentina via the ratlines." He said.

"Ratlines? What's a ratline?" asked Randy.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't ratlines an emigration route set up by the Vatican in the 1940s for the purpose of transporting European war refugees from Spain to Argentina?" Leland asked.

"Yes. And, when the war ended, they were exploited by war criminals from German and other Fascist regimes." Castillo replied. "Of course, by that point, they say that the actual involvement by the papacy in actually helping the criminals was negligible."

"But leave it to a criminal to take something meant to help people and turn it into something ugly." Natalie replied.

"That's right. Thanks to the ratlines, thousands of former Nazis and fascists poured into South America, including, Klaus Barbie, Adolf Eichmann, the villainous Josef Mengele and, according to some reports, Hitler himself." Castillo replied.

"Mercy." Stottlemeyer said.

There was a pause as the group considered what they were hearing.

"So, you're saying that this cousin of yours, Felipe Castillo, was a war criminal? And, it's his adopted son that Jeffers got involved with?" Adrian asked.

"Yes. Jeffers had been involved in a banking scheme and fled to South America. Gerhardt Castillo had several illicit businesses in the area until, I would say…oh…about ten years ago. Drug trade. Illegal smuggling. Typical thing you would see with some of the cartels. But, somewhere around 2009, 2010 Gerhardt moved away. I heard rumors of Jeffers showing up in Buenos Aires a few years ago, and we had a feeling that he might still be on Gerhardt's payroll. Given his criminal status, that seems to be the only lucrative work he would be able to get. But beyond that, I'm afraid I have no other information." He concluded.

"Well thank you, Mr. Castillo. You've been very helpful. If you don't mind, may we call you if we have any additional questions?" asked Leland.

"That would be fine. Blood always runs thicker than water, and if Christophe Jeffers and Gerhardt Castillo have something to do with my cousin Marcita's disappearance and possible death…let's just say, we would be interested in ensuring that they receive the appropriate justice." Eduardo replied.

"We are interested in justice as well, Señor Castillo. But we have some very precious cargo we have to rescue first." Natalie said.

Eduardo looked at the Monks and immediately discerned what she meant. "One of the kidnappings – it's your child?" he asked.

Adrian put his arm around Natalie as she nodded yes. "Our son, Lee. He was taken from us last week."

Castillo lowered his head. "Well, as I said, in this area I have many connections. I lost a child to a criminal back in 2003. I know that pain. I will ask some of my contacts in Buenos Aires if they have heard anything more about Jeffers, then I will let you know." He said.

"Thank you, señor. We will let you know if we find out anything about Marcita as well." Adrian replied.

* * *

On the other side of the world, Lee Monk had just gotten out of his early morning session with Head Master Castillo where he had proven most uncooperative. Gerhardt was not happy with Monk's lack of interest in the lessons. Abeo managed to convince him that the child was just acclimating to his new situation and that he would come around soon.

When asked how he was doing on repeating the pledge, Abeo lied. "Master Monk is a very smart child. We are working on it and I'm sure that you will be pleased to hear him recite it in two weeks." This was a big step for Abeo, since it had been drilled into him from the time he was a child that one never questions those over them in the social structure and one certainly doesn't lie to them. But, Abeo did not even feel guilty about the matter. Instead, he was looking for any opportunity where he might somehow help the child out of the situation he was in – giving him back the gift of childhood.

Lee's late morning session went very well. Away from Castillo he was a different child. Part of it may have just been that the subject matter was numbers and math, something Lee enjoyed very much. But, part of it was that even at age two, Lee had a great instinct about people. Castillo was a very bad man in his mind. Abeo was to be trusted. His teachers were mostly neutral, just doing their jobs, and therefore Lee was a bit more relaxed around them. But, he was still quite serious most of the time – when he wasn't being sad or angry.

Abeo played memory games with Lee. He worked with him on multiplications tables, and then on division. For his age, he was very advanced. Then, he worked on reading numbers and writing numbers so that Lee would understand the differences visually between hundreds, and thousands, and millions, and billions, and trillions.

"Okay, Master Lee. Can you write one million two hundred thousand for me?" Abeo asked.

Lee took a dry erase marker and wrote on the board, 1,200,000.

"Write three billion, two hundred million, fifty thousand and eight." Abeo instructed.

Leland took the marker and wrote _3200050008._

"Excellent! Now, you write some numbers for me and say them out loud." Abeo told the child.

Lee looked up towards his left and thought. Taking the marker, he wrote, _03052017_.

"What is this you write?" Abeo asked.

"Oh three. Oh Fiiivvve. Twenty. Seventeen." Leland replied.

"Very good. But what is it?" Abeo asked.

"That's Lee Lee and Abby's birthday." He answered.

"That's you and your sister's birthday? I didn't know that!" Abeo said. "You just had a birthday not too long ago."

"Mmmhmmm." Lee responded.

"What else can you write?" he asked.

He wrote _0000002_

"And what is that?" Abeo asked?

Lee giggled. "Number of copies sold of Uncle Randy's music."

"Ah, your uncle Randy is a musician?" Abeo asked.

"Music is important to Uncle Randy" Lee smiled. "Gibs Daddy headache."

"Ah…I see…" Abeo said. "Can you write anything else?" he asked.

Lee picked up the marker and wrote _16175551010_

"That's a long number. What is that one?" he asked.

"Dat's Daddy's Office." He replied.

"Your Daddy's office? What do you mean? Is that the phone number to where your father works?" Abeo asked, leaning forward.

"Mmmhmm…One…Six one seven…five five five…ten ten." The child said while using a paper cloth to erase the last 10 and replace it with more perfectly drawn numbers.

"Why you beautiful child! You remembered how to call home!" Abeo said, amazed at the potential opportunity which had just appeared before him.


	13. Chapter 13

"Adrian! I don't understand how this happened!" Natalie said, speaking to her husband who was sitting in the front seat of the mini van as she sat in the second row with Abby and Julie.

"I knowwwww, but, _I _thought _you_ had it." he said, nervously looking out the window, while rubbing the outside of his pant's leg.

"You thought? Me? Oh no, Mister! You're not going to lay that trip on me. I asked you three times if you packed your toothbrush, and you said 'yes dear'. I can't be blamed for this!" she continued.

"Dat's right Mister! Mommy not to blame!" said Abby, at which point Julie lightly tapped her little mouth, not wanting the minor squabble to turn into something more.

"Well. We have no choice! We have to turn back." Adrian said, exasperated.

"Monk! We're 7 hours out of Cordoba and almost to Buenos Aires. We're not turning back for a toothbrush!" Leland barked. "You can just buy a new one when we get to the hotel."

Adrian squirmed in his seat, trying not to protest but it was of no use. "No. Leland! We can't. Just. Go buy…a new one. You see, here's the thing…this brush is special…."

"What? Is it gold plated or something?" Randy asked from the back seat.

"No…Randy! It's not gold plated!" Adrian snarled. "Natalie. Tell them!"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "It's the Gertler 4000. Extra soft polyurethane bristles with a blue rubber handle. Only brush Adrian will use." She said, looking out the window.

"And I suppose you can't get that at any old drug store?" asked Randy.

"No. I've routinely had a hard time finding them anywhere, particularly since we moved to Boston." Natalie said.

"Have you tried online?" Julie asked.

"Yeah. They have everything online. All you have to do is sign on when we get to the hotel, and your item can be to your doorstep in two days. It might be a little gross, but if that's all you will use, you can have what you need in a couple of days. Maybe just use some toilet paper or something in the interim to brush your teeth." Randy said.

Adrian turned and glared at Randy.

"What?" Randy asked.

"Have we met?" Adrian snarled, as Randy lowered his head realizing he was trying to reason with someone for whom reason was not going to work at present moment.

"Monk! We're not going back. Which is more important? Finding Jeffers or a toothbrush?" Leland said.

Adrian turned around in his seat and rolled his neck, then crossed his arms. "Jeffers." He mumbled, like a disappointed child and temporarily accepting the reality of the missing toothbrush – but not forgetting.

"Good. That's settled. Now, when we get into town, I'll pull us up to the hotel and I figure, after we drop off the bags, we can split up. Randy and I can go to the first address that Eduardo handed us. What was it Randy? Cesar…"

"Hidalgo. Cesar Hidalgo. Owns the Golden Sun Casino. Eduardo believes that Jeffers may have worked for him as late as last month." Randy replied.

"So, you and Leland are going to the casino?" Natalie asked.

"That's right." Randy replied.

"Do you think that's wise?" she asked.

Randy rolled his eyes. "Natalie. Really?" he said.

She just looked at him.

"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I have a gambling problem." Randy said.

She continued to stare, and now Adrian turned around giving him the same stare.

"What?! I don't! I don't!" Disher continued. "I…I will admit, that at first I was a bit too _trusting_ with the instruction manual…but that was just my inexperience. I should have known. No. I didn't have a gambling problem, I had a gullibility problem."

"Randy. You gambled away your life's savings." Natalie said.

"I don't look at it that way. I look at it as, I invested in myself. I..you know, worked on my further development. I found what didn't work. I pursued a dream and I…"

"Randy." Leland interrupted.

"Yes?" Disher replied.

"Scrap the plans of seeing Hildalgo. We'll go to the other guy's place, the restaurateur, Luis Marcos. Natalie and Monk, you take the casino."

Randy opened his mouth to say something else, but the matter was settled.

* * *

Once settled in their bedroom, Adrian and Natalie sat down on the bed and studied a map, trying to figure out where the casino was located in relation to their hotel.

"Okay, from this map, it looks like we just need to go about a half mile South-East along San Martin and then turn onto Gaona and it should be somewhere up on the left." Natalie said.

"That's pretty easy. What time did he say they would open?" Adrian asked.

"6 PM. That's two hours away. Why? You wanting to figure out something to do with your time?" she asked flirtatiously tugging at his belt buckle.

Adrian looked at her confused. "No. I know what I want to do."

"And what's that?" she asked, leaning in, biting her lip.

Looking back down at the map, he said "I want to find out where the nearest drug store is and see if we can replace my toothbrush."

Natalie sighed. Placing her hand on her hip, she raised her eyebrow and snatched the map from the bed. "I'll go look for it." She said, deflated.

"Oh, would you? That would be wonderful! You're the best, Nat!" he chirped.

She rolled her eyes at him, and walked over with the map towards her purse.

"I'll take Julie. I think she wanted to go pick up some personal items anyway. We can meet you back here about 5:30?" she asked.

"Great. You know, I feel kinda grimy from the trip. I think a nice shower sounds good. I'll get cleaned up, and be ready for you when you return.." He said, unbuttoning his shirt and walking towards the restroom.

Natalie watched as he took the shirt off, neatly hung it on a coat hanger, and then placed it in the closet. Seeing him standing there in a form fitting white t-shirt raised her temperature even more. Since Lee had been taken, the last thing on their mind was intimacy, but being back by his side as his partner was beginning to awaken that which the shock of everything had dulled. She took this as a healthy sign, but as she was leaving the room, she could be heard to murmur. "Yes, a nice _cold_ shower sounds very good about now."

* * *

"Yeah. I know him. He used to come in here all the time. Went by the name Jeff Christopher. Skinny guy. Wore a long coat like he that he was Neo from the Matrix or something - even in the heat of summer." Luis Marcos said to Stottlemeyer and Disher, from his office at Salmorejos restaurant near the waterfront in Costa Salguero, Buenos Aires.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Leland asked.

"Oh, about two or three days ago." Marcos replied.

Randy and Leland looked at one another.

"So, he's still around here?" Randy asked.

"I suppose. But I wouldn't check at the Casino that he worked at. Hildalgo fired him. Seems like he was making off with some of the earnings." He answered.

"Old habits die hard." Leland replied.

"My understanding is that Hildalgo has a price out on his head. So, if you're gonna see him, better find him soon. Nobody messes with Hildalgo." Marcos suggested.

"Any ideas where he might be? Where he lives?" Randy asked.

"No. He never said…but, wait…" he replied. "I may know someone who could tell you."

He walked over to one of the waitresses and whispered in her ear, then brought her back to meet them.

"Gentlemen this is Jimena Morales. She went out on a date or two with Mr. Christopher. Jimena, these men have a need to talk to Jeff. Where did you say he lived?"

"Laprida. He has an apartment at 456 Laprida." She replied in broken English.

"Thank you, Ms. Morales. Mr. Marcos. You've both been very helpful." Leland said. "Randy?"

"Yes. Thank you." Randy said as he followed Leland out of the restaurant and to the rented mini-van.

* * *

Outside, Randy looked at Leland. "So, we going to go to Jeffer's house next?"

"No. I want to go get Monk. This guy is dangerous. I don't want there to be just two of us present when we confront him." Stottlemeyer replied.

"Won't he be with Natalie at the casino?" Randy asked.

"Probably so. But, we shouldn't take any chances. Three of us are better than two and if this guy has killed, he wouldn't hesitate to kill again." Leland responded.

* * *

The shower made all the difference in Adrian's mood and energy level as was evident by the fact that he exited the steamy room with a smile on his face, humming a song that had played in the lobby when they arrived. He opened his suitcase and pulled out a pair of brown pants and a clean black t-shirt.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

He rolled his eyes and marched over to the phone expecting to hear Natalie's voice on the other end. Picking up the line, he smiled and said, "What did you forget now?"

There was a pause, and then a male voice came on the other line.

"Monk? Adrian Monk?" he said.

Adrian furrowed his brow. "Yes?"

"Mr. Monk. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Christophe Jeffers." He said.

Adrian's heart skilled a beat. "Jeffers." he whispered.

"I am of the understanding that you and your entourage have traveled all the way to Argentina to speak with me about the disappearance of your son, Lee Monk. Do I have that correct?" he asked.

"Where do you have him?" Adrian said angrily.

Jeffers laughed. "Direct. I like that. Alright Mr. Monk. I'll tell you what. You want to see your son? Meet me at Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar in a half hour." He said.

Adrian took a notepad out and wrote down _Basilica del Pilar – Jeffers – Lee_ on the tablet.

"Do you have my son with you? Can I talk to him?" he asked.

"Just meet me in the Basilica. You'll see your son soon enough." Jeffers replied. "Come alone, or the consequences will be unfortunate for you and your son."

Adrian thought to himself. This could most certainly be a trap. The fact that Jeffers even knew where he was, was troubling in and of itself. So, he could most certainly be setting Adrian up. But…this was the man who had taken Lee. He had to take the chance.

He wasn't going to be stupid about it. He would purposely leave a trail in case he got into trouble. He didn't want to make it too obvious because he was being watched. The very fact that the hotel room phone rang told him there was someone in the hotel that tipped Jeffers off as to what room he was staying in. So, he would have to be subtle and figured that after a little time had passed, someone in his group would pick up on the clues.

Adrian hung up the phone and quickly got dressed. Ripping the note from the notepad, he left the tablet on the hotel room desk, with an ink pen laying on top of it at an angle. Looking around the room for something he could use to leave a trail, he found a small beaded necklace with a ballerina charm on the end that Abigail loved to wear.

"Sorry, princess. Daddy will buy you a new one." He said quietly, as he held the charm over top of the bed and busted its string. Removing all of the beads from the string, he left the charm, a few beads, and some string laying on top of the bed. Grabbing his wallet, key card, and cell phone he left the room to go catch a cab to the basilica.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the taxi let Adrian out in front of the Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar, which was a large white church building next to one of Buenos Aires largest tourist attractions, the famed Recoleta Cemetery.

The church and the cemetery had been there for over two centuries and had hosted some of Argentina's most prestigious citizens. In fact, the cemetery itself was full of renowned Argentinians, including several former Presidents, artists, writers, musicians and perhaps- most famous - Argentina's former first lady, Eva Peron.

As Adrian exited the vehicle, he looked around for signs of Jeffers in the bustle of tourists leaving the cemetery, which had just closed. He spotted nobody fitting his description.

"Meet me _in_ the Basilica." He thought to himself, so he turned to towards the church. Walking through the atrium, he stood at the end of a sanctuary whose white walls were accentuated by golden altars and rich brown wood. Looking around, he only saw a man and a woman, praying in one of the pews towards the middle of the sanctuary. Dropping a single bead on the floor, he walked forward – watching for any signs of Jeffers in any of the side chapels or at altars hidden from the view of the central aisle. Seeing no one, he went to the front row and sat down, waiting for Jeffers next move.

After several minutes had passed, he considered the thought that he may have been lured away from the hotel in order to get to Natalie and Abby. Panic struck his heart, so he picked up his cell phone and began to phone his wife, but before he could finish dialing, a man dressed in priestly garb joined him in the pew, stuck out his hand, and grabbed onto the cell phone.

Adrian looked up at the man's face. It was Jeffers. He looked down at the man's other hand, and he was armed.

"I'll be taking this." Jeffers stated, removing Adrian's cell phone from his hand, turning it off, and placing it in his pocket

Adrian looked up at him. "Where is Lee?"

Jeffers laughed. "Now what kind of greeting is that? I don't even get a hello?"

Adrian clamped his mouth shut and stared at Jeffers.

"Guess not. Walk with me. I'll take you to him." Jeffers continued. "But… don't make any sudden moves. I have already killed three times. I won't hesitate to do it again."

As the two men walked inconspicuously through the church, they talked. Adrian wanted to find out as much as he could while also stalling for time. Jeffers seemed quite willing to talk.

"Belinda Parsons, Marcita and…" Adrian said.

"What?" Jeffers asked.

"The three you killed, Parsons, Marcita and..." Adrian replied.

"Marcita's lover. I shot them both. Caught them in the very act! You should have seen how that coward begged for his life. Poor beautiful and stupid Marcita. She should have stayed loyal to her husband."he said.

"So, you killed her, and then what?" Adrian replied.

"I buried her in a shallow grave near the Rio Suquia. Her lover…well, seeing he liked to be seen out with her, I figured disposing of his body in the open was more appropriate." He said.

"That was for betrayal. Belinda Parsons didn't do anything to you." Adrian said.

"Open that door. We're going outside." Jeffers replied. Adrian complied with the demand.

"Belinda Parsons was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was tasked with finding your address." He said.

"Tasked? Tasked by whom?" he asked.

"Gerhardt. Gerhardt Castillo. He is a long time, shall we say, business partner with me. I knew him from the time he and I were at GGU together. Of course, he was much older.

"GGU? Golden Gate University in San Francisco?" Adrian asked.

"Yes. That's where we met. Ran into him again when I married Marcita. The two of us became partners. Still are. In fact, he's going to help me get out of this place. Seems my former friend Hildalgo wants me dead. In exchange for safe passage, I told Gerhardt that I would deal with this one last thing." He explained as they reached a stone wall with a wrought iron gate. He motioned to Adrian with his gun to open the gate. It was the gate to the adjoining cemetery.

"One last thing?" Adrian asked as he subtly reached inside his pocket and pulled out several more beads.

"Yes. He wants to clean up a few loose ends." he replied, as Adrian dropped several beads at the cemetery's side entrance, and he and Jeffers walked into the surreal silence of the dead.

* * *

Leland and Randy arrived back at the hotel at the same time Natalie, Julie and Abby got back from the store.

"You all are back already?" Randy asked.

"We never got going. Adrian wouldn't stop talking about that toothbrush, and we needed to pick up a few items anyway, so I said I'd run to a drugstore and see if I could find what he wanted." Natalie replied as they walked towards the elevator doors.

Leland stood at the doors and put his hands on his hips. "Any luck?" he asked.

"Yes! They had three toothbrushes left. I'll give him one, then I'm keeping two in my purse so that this doesn't happen again." She replied.

"Good move." Leland said in response.

Randy and Leland explained to Natalie what they had run into at the restaurant and how they wanted to talk to Monk about things up in the room.

"I don't like it. We should get the authorities involved." Natalie said.

"Normally, I would agree. But, we don't know who we are dealing with and I'm afraid it could put Lee in danger if suddenly a bunch of cops show up." Leland replied.

"You may be right." She said, as she stuck the keycard into the door. "But, I still don't like it."

* * *

Walking in the room, Natalie saw that Adrian wasn't in view and assumed that he was back in the bathroom.

"Adrian, we're back. Leland and Randy have something that they want to talk to you about." She said.

Silence.

Natalie looked at Leland. "That's strange." Then walked over to the bathroom. "He isn't here."

"Maybe he just went out to a vending machine or something." Randy suggested.

"Adrian? Adrian won't touch a hotel vending machine. Too many germs. In fact, those are our sheets, not the hotels." She said, pointing to the bed where Abby now stood, playing with the broken necklace with a sad face.

"What's the matter, Abby?" Natalie asked.

"It broked." She replied, holding up pieces of necklace.

"What broke?" Natalie asked, walking over to the bed. She picked up the ballerina charm, then looked at Leland.

"It's Abby's necklace. I had placed it over on the dresser when we arrived. It wasn't broken then." She said.

Randy furrowed his brow as Leland frowned. "Think Monk broke it?" he asked.

"Well, who else?" Leland responded.

"But why would he break Abby's necklace. That's her favorite." Julie asked.

Natalie looked around the room and saw several things out of order. "It's not like Adrian to leave the room looking like this. I think he was trying to tell us something." She said.

"Why didn't he just write a note?" Randy asked.

Looking over at the dresser, Leland spotted the notepad. He walked over to it and picked it up. "Maybe he did." He stated.

Natalie, Randy and Julie walked over to Stottlemeyer who then asked Natalie, "Do you have a pencil or a crayon or something that I could use?"

Natalie shook her head "Sure." She replied as she walked over to Abby's suitcase and pulled out a box of crayons.

Taking one of the crayons, Leland lightly brushed it over the surface of the paper revealing, in Monk's handwriting, what he had written.

"_Basilica del Pilar – Jeffers – Lee_ What does it mean?" Julie asked.

Leland, Natalie and Randy looked at each other with knowing looks.

"It means your step-father may be getting himself in trouble. Julie, can you stay here with Abby? Natalie. Randy. I know where this Basilica is at. Let's go find him." He replied.


	14. Chapter 14

A purple and blue hue bathed the tree-lined streets and alley ways of Buenos Aires' famous Recoleta Cemetery, giving the entire area an eerie, almost other-worldly feel. In fact, other-worldly was a good way to describe the tourist mecca which, while both beautiful and stately, had an ominous quality about it as well - as if some enlightenment-era village had been mysteriously emptied of all life and replaced by an opulent theatre of the macabre.

The streets were lined with mausoleums. Elegant structures of every variety, standing side by side of each other, giving the appearance of rows of shops and houses in some forgotten town. Looking down from their edifices were carved representations of everything from weeping maidens to heralding angels to larger-than-life commissioned sculptures of the tomb owners – a final proclamation of their worth and influence. Indeed, every tomb had its own story and some stories were grander than others.

There were legends of ghosts, such as cemetery worker David Alleno, who after working at Recoleta for 30 years, commissioned an artist to complete a relief sculpture of himself to place at the crypt that he had saved his entire career to have for his burial. When he heard the artist was finished, he took his own life. It was said that at dawn, one could often hear him walking the streets of the cemetery, jangling his keys as he passed through the cemetery's narrow walkways.

There were tales of tragedy, such as the story of Rufina Cambaceres, an Argentinian girl whose bloodied and bruised body was found inside her coffin when there was the appearance that her grave had been robbed. Her parents asked for an inquiry of the state of the corpse only to find out that Rufina was not actually dead when she buried, and had awakened out of a coma, dying while trying to claw her way out of her own casket.

And, there were tales of intrigue, such as the story of Salvador and Tiburcia Carril. It seems that Tiburcia was in the habit of spending Salvador's money to the point that Salvador took out a newspaper notice saying he would not be responsible for his wife's debts. When he died, she commissioned a grand monument for the preservation of his memory. However, the couple was so estranged that when she passed away, fifteen years after her husband, she commissioned that her bust would be placed with its back towards that of her husband, so that she would look away from him for eternity.

All of these stories existed on an historical backdrop of dignitaries and dreamers, all of whom played a part in the attraction to the place and who all now sat as silent witnesses to the foreboding quest of Adrian Monk.

* * *

As Monk and Jeffers walked along the ever-dimming streets, Adrian quietly dropped beads all along the pathway, leaving a trail for his friends and wife to find. Soon, the supply was almost exhausted, and he knew that he had to conserve what was left for the time where he reached his destination. He had an increasing feeling that something was wrong and that he had indeed been duped. Yet, he remained silent until they reached the center of the cemetery and stopped.

"Where are we?" he asked, now being overshadowed by the silhouettes of the buildings against a darkening Argentine sky.

Even in the dark, Adrian could see Jeffer's snake-like smile. "We are at the place which is the key to finding your son." Jeffers stated.

"Do you mean, Leland is not here?" Adrian said, angrily.

"Only one way to find out." Jeffers replied, taking out an old keyring with a brass key sliding along its circumference. He held out his hand to Monk, bidding him to take the item.

"Here you are Mr. Monk. I'll give you the honors of opening the crypt." He said, glaring at him with a sinister glee.

"I don't think so. You can do the honors." Adrian replied.

"No, Adrian. I insist. Little Lee could be waiting just behind those doors. Who do you think he'd rather see when they open…me, or his father?" he asked.

Adrian cringed as his hair stood on end. Rationally, he knew that this trip had all been a lie, a trap, set to destroy him . But, emotionally he felt his heart bidding him to ignore all reason, take the key, and open the door. As he closed his eyes and pictured his son's cherubic face looking for him, emotion won out. He looked up at Jeffers, reached out his hand, and took the key.

Turning around, he faced the tomb, which he immediately noticed was adorned with the image of a black phoenix surrounded by a golden laurel wreath. Underneath the insignia were the words Dedicado a la memoria de la familia de Felipe Castillo. Dedicated to the memory of the family of Felipe Castillo. Adrian recognized the name as that of the father of Gerhardt Castillo and believed that somehow it was Gerhardt who had contracted Jeffers to draw him to the place. This knowledge caused him to think twice about what he was doing, yet the draw to rescue Lee was still very much present within his mind, resulting in a mindfog that he was trying desperately to shake.

* * *

At the church, Leland, Natalie and Randy had arrived and were looking everywhere for what could have become of Monk. They saw a priest walking along the way and stopped him.

"Excuse me." Leland said, motioning for the priest to come over.

The priest walked to their side and with a thick Spanish accent said "Yes? May I help you?"

"Yes. We're looking for our friend, Adrian Monk. About 5'10", dark hair and tan complexion." Leland said.

"Leland, you're describing about 99% of the people around here." Natalie said, reaching into her purse for a photo. Pulling a picture of herself and Adrian with the children out of her wallet, she handed it to the priest. "This man. He is my husband. We are looking for him. Have you seen him?"

The priest looked at the picture and shook his head. "Si señora." He replied. "He was here about an hour ago with a father whom I did not know." He said.

"A father?" she asked.

"A priest. He wasn't from around here, but they sat together for a few moments in this row." He said, pointing to the pew that they had sat in. "They seemed to know each other and left together, walking through that door."

The trio stood next to the pew and gazed over towards the door, but before they took a single step, Natalie looked down and saw a single pink bead sitting on the floor. Bending over, she recognized it as having come from the necklace.

"This is Abby's." She said, showing it to the men.

"He's left a trail. Let's go that way." Leland said. Turning back to the priest, he asked, "Where does that door lead to?"

"It goes out into the courtyard and from there, the cemetery." He replied.

The three friends looked up.

"Jeffers took him to the cemetery!" Randy said.

"We've got to get to him!" Natalie said.

"Oh, señores, señora – the cemetery is closed tonight. You must check back in the morning." The priest said.

"No. You don't understand. We believe my husband has been taken into that cemetery by a very bad man – a man who has killed before. We have to go find him" Natalie exclaimed.

"Okay, okay…Wait here a moment. It is dark outside. I will bring you a flashlight." Said the priest.

A few moments passed and the priest returned with the light. "Should I call the police?" he asked.

Leland thought this through and then agreed. If Monk were in that cemetery with a murderer, they would need the firepower.

The trio took off out the door going towards the cemetery gate. As they reached the gate, Leland opened the handle and then looked down at the hard rolling objects which his feet had just landed on. He bent down and picked up a bead. Nodding at Natalie, he said "That's it, buddy. Tell us exactly where he has taken you. We will be there soon."

* * *

"What's wrong, Monk? You have the key. Use it!" he heard Jeffers say from behind. And so, almost in robotic fashion, Adrian inched his way forward towards the lock.

As the last vestiges of sunlight, provided their dim illumination to the crypt, Adrian peered through the window where he could see, he believed, at least nine tombs inside the mausoleum. He looked for any sign of movement inside or anything about the size of Lee's body, but it was too dark. Slowly, he raised the key to put it in the lock but stopped in his tracks when he felt a fully intact cobweb brush across his hand. There was no way that Lee was there since the small building hadn't been opened in quite some time. In a moment, rationality returned to his mind and he withdrew the key. Pivoting on his heel he decided to break away.

"Lee is not in this crypt." He said, using his arm to try to push away from Jeffers. But Jeffers was ready for any quick movement ,and used the butt end of his revolver to render Adrian unconscious with a single strike against the back of Monk's head. As he fell, Adrian's left hand opened, strewing beads all along the sidewalk outside the crypt.

In the darkness, Jeffers did not notice, but instead, bent down and removed the keys from Monk's hand. Turning around, he unlocked the door to the crypt and came back and pulled Adrian's body inside the confines of the building. Reaching into his pocket, Jeffers pulled out a role of duct tape and used it to bind Adrian's hands and feet and then sat him up against the wall, using more tape to cover his mouth.

When he had finished, he grinned a sinister grin and walked out of the building. Shutting the door, he smiled and bid Adrian Monk adieu. Locking the crypt, he put the key in his pocket and began to walk back towards the church. About halfway towards the exit, however, he turned a corner and ran directly into Leland, Randy and Natalie.

For a moment, he froze in his steps as did the three friends.

Leland's eyes looked at Jeffer's face with a laser like gaze.

"Christophe Jeffers?" he asked, at which point, Jeffers jumped and then took off running the opposite direction.

Randy turned to Leland. "You and Natalie look for Adrian. I'll chase down Jeffers!" he said, running as fast as his feet could carry him through the labyrinth of tombs and graves.

Meanwhile, Leland and Natalie walked along the streets, shining the flashlight towards the ground, occasionally finding beads along the way. About a quarter of the way through the cemetery, however, the trail ran cold. Standing in the middle of a street that branched off in several directions they simply didn't know where else to turn.

Closing her eyes, Natalie tried to sense where Adrian might be. Their hearts were so entwined that she often could feel the emotions that he was feeling at any given time, even if they were apart from one another. After a moment, she felt a certain confidence in continuing straight on their path, and so Leland and Natalie continued to walk as Randy continued the chase elsewhere in the cemetery.

* * *

Inside the crypt, Adrian Monk opened his eyes. His head hurt, and it was hard to focus in the confines of that space, but he knew that he was alive and that Jeffers was nowhere near. He struggled to free himself of his bonds but it was of no use. Breathlessly, he looked around the inside of the crypt, which was all done in white Carrara marble with black lettering. Even in the darkness, he could make out letters.

In order to pass time and to keep himself from falling prey to a building panic attack, he decided he would try to read what was on the walls. In front of him to his right, he saw the graves of the progenitors of the Castillo family, Felipe and Hilda. Felipe's grave just had his name, but Hilda's noted her relation as wife of Felipe.

Below their grave was a daughter, Maria Castillo Ortega. To the right of them, two sons, and at least one of the wives of the sons. As he continued reading along the walls, the exercise had a decidedly calming effect on him. It was something he could think of besides the darkness. It was something to keep his mind off of the fear that he was going to die in that place. It was something to preoccupy his thoughts from never seeing his family again. And, it was working well as a distraction, until the last name on the bottom left of the tomb caught his attention and sent a feeling of electricity running through his body.

"It can't be!" he thought, as he scooted closer to the crypt to make sure he was reading the name correctly. Confirming his initial read, he sat back and thought. "But, this makes no sense. It has to be a coincidence." The more and more he thought, however, the more he knew that it was no coincidence. It had to be planned.

Soon, a picture began to build in his mind – the beginnings of 'what happened.' It did make sense, at least the bit that he knew about it, and it was an insidious plan indeed. And yet, here he was, alone in a sealed tomb, with nobody to share the information with but a few spiders who were spinning webs in the upper corner of the room.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. Surely Natalie and Leland would come to him and rescue him. Surely this would not be his final revelation. Surely, the last thing he would see would not be the name of Sophia Castillo, beloved sister of Felipe and consort of Dale Biederbeck II - mother of the man whom Monk had locked up long ago, Dale Biederbeck III.


	15. Chapter 15

_Authors Note: Thank you all for your continued encouragement and feedback. Appreciate each and every one of you. Have a question as I'm looking ahead to 2020 that I need to hear from you on. _

_For 2020 do you want MonkNotJunk's stories to  
1) Be a continuation of 2019 (aka Monk Season 10)  
2) Be an alternate to 2009 (aka Monk Season 9b)_

_If you go with B, Stephen and Molly are still around and will have to be dealt with. Lee and Abby are not in existence (though they will likely make a repeat appearance under slightly different circumstances). As the 'season' begins, Adrian and Natalie are still single and have yet to discover their destiny. _

_You as a reader can choose which alternative direction to Monk you like best to follow the canon.  
If you go with A, all that happened is 100% what happened and we come up with 10 new stories. (maybe)_

_Please comment via private message, or if you are not registered, just put a *1 or *2 in your next review._

_Thanks – Janine_

* * *

It was just after breakfast at the Wellspring Institute and all students were busy in their first class of the day. For Lee Monk, this meant that he was sitting in class with Head-Master Gerhardt Castillo getting his most recent lecture on why the way of the Wellspring was greater than any other way conceived by man.

All of man's spiritual beliefs were lies, according to Castillo, except the worship of the self and the future worship of that highest self who would be the Golden Child that would one day rule the world, and his elders who would rule with him. He spoke in glowing terms to the children about what their life would be like in those roles, even though he knew most of the students, while of above average intelligence, would never make it that far -most of the students except for Lee Monk. In him, he saw a blank slate for him to write his wildest desires upon – a child of endless possibilities, that is if they could bring him into conformity to the will of his master, Castillo himself.

Heretofore, he had still seen nothing out of Lee to indicate that he was conforming. Abeo had sworn that they were making progress on the creed, but each morning as the children spoke, Lee remained stonily silent – even defiant. There was too much to teach this child to waste time playing games.

_If_ it was determined at the end of two weeks that Abeo was not being truthful, then Castillo already had in mind to take the child under his personal tutelage, administering the right kind of discipline to him until that strong will of his was broken and he became malleable. Abeo himself would be made an example of to the others and he would not like his unhappy ending. All of this was _if_ he was being lied to.

At this point in time, Gerhardt had no way of knowing, short of demanding a performance. But, he did not want to interrupt things if indeed Abeo was making good progress as he said. The boy had taken a shine to one of his oldest servants, so if that made the future training of Lee Monk easier, he was willing to abide the mystery for a little while.

* * *

While Gerhardt taught Lee, Abeo had other plans. He excused himself from the classroom to take care of 'personal matters' and slipped down the hallway towards the Castillo's office suite. He had brought along a stack of reports that Castillo wanted, just in case he was stopped – he could use this as an excuse. But, his main purpose was to get to a telephone and to dial the number that Lee had recited – contacting Lee's kinfolk in America.

As luck would have it, when Abeo entered the suite, nobody was around. He knew that he had to be quick.

Slipping into Castillo's office, he sprinted to the telephone and took out the phone number that he had written on a slip of paper within his pocket. Dialing the country code first, he then dialed the area code and the number and waited for someone to pick up. At present, it was 10AM his time. He did not realize that it was 5AM where Lee's father lived. He allowed the number to ring until an answering machine picked up.

_Hello. This is Adrian Monk._

"Mr. Monk! My Name is Abeo, I have information about your son Lee." He said.

_You have reached the answering machine of Enterprise Detective Agency, The Offices of Detectives Stottlemeyer, Disher, Monk and Monk. I'm sorry we're unable to answer your call right now, but when you hear the beep noise, if you will please speak into the telephone receiver and leave a message, we will play it back and listen to it later and will return your call. The beep noise is coming up right after this. Thank you…what?...But of course I had to tell them about the beep. How else would they have known when to…._ ***BEEP***

Abeo heard footsteps coming into the main offices and hung up without leaving a message. Quietly, he picked up his folders and went through a side door which he knew led to the interior hallway and ultimately to the students' quarters. He slipped up the stairs and went down the main hall towards his room, moving stealthily so as to appear to be where he would be expected to be. As he turned the corner to go down the main stairs, nine year old Adele St. Yves stepped out of the doorway from her room, first looking down the back staircase and then curiously watching as Abeo made his way towards the front.

* * *

At the cemetery, Buenos Aires Police were now blocking all entrances and exits. With the layout as it was, the monuments provided an excellent hiding place for Jeffers to lurk. Randy had chased him through the entire Northern end of the site, towards the church, and met up with local police directing some to stay in the courtyard and some to walk with him, doing a clean sweep of the place from North to South.

* * *

Meanwhile, even though he had conquered claustrophobia some ten years prior, Adrian was feeling a threatened resurgence of it in his life as he saw the room he was in as anything but protecting. Was this meant to be his grave? Or was Jeffers going to return and finish the job? He didn't want to lie around and wait to find out, so he continued to move and twist his body around on the floor of the tomb, hoping that somehow he would loosen the tape and allow enough slack that he could break free. What he would do from there, he wasn't sure. All he knew is that he couldn't quit trying.

* * *

Thirty feet away, Leland and Natalie were again at a stand-still. At a point in the road where they could at go in at least four different directions, they stopped and looked around. They could hear sounds of officers roaming the grounds from several rows over, and they could see the dim glow of flashlights looking to and from amongst the crypts – so they should have felt hopeful. But truly, looking for Adrian in Recoleta cemetery, with its nearly 5000 vaults, was truly like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Where to next, young lady?" Leland asked his friend.

"I don't know." She said. "Leland, he could literally be anywhere!"

Leland could see that she was beginning to lose hope of finding him, so he reached out his hand and put it on her shoulder.

"Listen Natalie, he's around here somewhere. We will find him, and we will find him tonight." He said.

"But what if Jeffers has…" she said.

"Stop! Don't even talk that way. Don't think that way!" Leland said. "Now. Tell me, do you feel like he is dead?"

Natalie thought. "No. I don't."

"Then we keep looking." He replied. "Let's go this way." He said, pointing to a street that traveled West, away from the Castillo tomb. They turned to walk away.

* * *

From inside the tomb, Adrian heard voices. He opened his eyes wide and began to shout muffled shouts through his throat and nose. At the same time, the police intercepted Natalie and Leland and began talking to them about the situation, drowning out any sound from the tomb.

Another officer's voice was heard. "I think I saw something go down this way." Resulting in a scamper of several of the officers running East. Voices speaking Spanish filled the air, and Natalie and Leland were told to stand still.

Meanwhile, about ten feet from the tomb, Christophe Jeffers scaled the wall of one of the tallest crypts near where Monk was and laid flat against its roof. He needed to plan his escape.

Adrian could see the flashlights of the officers when they returned from their chase to talk to Natalie and Leland.

"It was just a stray cat." One of the officers told the duo upon return.

Natalie crossed her arms. "Where could he be? If you guys have already hit the Northern end of the cemetery, I guess we should just continue to travel South." She said.

"Si, señora. You can go along this path, and we will take the other three paths." The officer said, as they began to move back towards the tomb.

* * *

Adrian knew that they were close. He also knew that his muffled cries were being drowned out by other noise, so he had to give it his best shot. He hopped on his bottom until he reached a corner of the room in which he could sandwich his back against one wall and his feet against the other. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he began to kick the opposing wall with all of his might, trying to make any sound that those outside could hear. The scheme began to work.

"Shhh…what's that?" Leland asked.

"What?" Natalie responded. "Officers, please be quiet."

All were still as they heard a thump, thump, thump coming from inside one of the Mausoleums.

Slowly, they walked Adrian's direction stopping every so often to get their bearings. In the midst of a sea of marble and stone, there was an echo affect on the walls of the graves, particularly at night, but they were honing in on him. As they walked Adrian kept kicking and kept screaming.

"This direction!" one of the officers said, at which point Natalie stepped on two of the remaining scattered beads. She bent down and picked them up, then looked up where she saw at least six other beads coming from the direction of a single tomb.

"No. Over there!" she said, walking over towards the tomb.

As Adrian continued to kick and scream, the officers tried the doors to the crypt. This caused him to kick even more frantically to the degree that he didn't realize he actually cracked the marble support on one of the tombs.

One of the officers decided to use his pistol to shoot the lock. At the split second he shot the gun, the marble from the support gave way, causing the coffin of Felipe Castillo's eldest daughter to fall down from its perch, crashing onto the floor directly in front of Adrian Monk. The lid flew open to the casket and the skeletal remains were propelled onto the floor and Adrian Monk himself.

As the door to the vault was opened, the first sight that Adrian saw illuminated by the flashlights was that of Marguerita Castillo's bony corpse staring him in the face with her arm resting on his shoulder.

He screamed in horror and began to jerk wildly around on the floor. Natalie burst through the door and ran to his side.

"Adrian!" she screamed, catching his attention.

He looked up at her with pleading eyes, and then looked at the skeleton.

"Get your own man! This one's taken!" she said, as she reached out and removed Marguerita's arm from Adrian's shoulder and pushed her to the side.

Bending down, she removed the duct tape from his hands and feet and helped him to sit up. Working very slowly, she peeled the remaining tape from his mouth, and he drew her in to himself for a deep and passionate kiss.

"Adrian, I was so worried." She said, brushing dirt off of his face.

"So was I. I'm so glad you heard me." He said.

"Heard you." She said, pointing to her ears. "Felt you" she said, pointing to her heart. "And saw you." She said holding out the beads.

He looked down and smiled. "You found my trail."

"Yes. We did. And now, I'm going to have to kill you!" she said, smacking him in the chest. "Don't you ever do something like that again!"

"Trust me. I have no plans for a repeat performance." He said, standing up from the floor and brushing the dirt off of his clothes.

He looked up and saw Leland standing in the door.

"Adrian Monk! You can get yourself into more situations!" Leland said.

Adrian smiled. "That's true. But this one was worth it."

"Worth it? What do you mean?" Stottlemeyer asked.

Adrian turned to the Biederbeck tomb and pointed out the name to Natalie and Leland.

Leland looked shocked and Natalie covered her mouth.

"Biederbeck?! It can't be!" he exclaimed.

"He's in prison in San Francisco. He has no privileges. It can't be him!" she said.

"He's the guy!" Adrian said. "I don't know how he did it, but he's the one who did it and it would appear that a trip to San Francisco is next on our agenda."

* * *

Within another minute, the trio began to walk out of the tomb. It was then that Jeffers came up with his most desperate plan yet. Spotting Monk walking out of the tomb he became incensed.

"Adrian Monk! How dare you!" he said, pulling out his pistol.

In a fit of anger, he risked everything and stood on the roof of the mausoleum some twenty feet above and five yards away from Adrian Monk and aimed his weapon. He pulled back the hammer of the revolver, making a tell tale clicking sound that all could recognize. Leland and the Monks spun around towards the direction of the sound.

"I'm up here!" Jeffers said, causing the trio to look up at his silhouette against the night sky. They saw him raise the pistol up in the air and then point it towards Adrian. Leland lurched forward to tackle both Adrian and Natalie, but not before seeing Christophe Jeffers go screaming through the air, having been kicked off of the rooftop, and splatter onto the ground.

The three friends winced and then looked back up towards the rooftop from whence Jeffers fell. There, standing proud and strong with his hands on his hips like Captain America after a daring rescue was Randy Disher.

"Randy!" Adrian said.

"What in the world?" Leland exclaimed.

"I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from!" he said from the rooftop, quoting from the movies.

"Randy. Be careful up there!" Natalie warned.

"I could do this all day. Enjoy your lady, Detective Monk! I'm with you until the end of the line!" he said before spinning around and slipping off the rooftop onto some bushes below.

"Oh gosh! Randy!" the friends said, jumping up and running towards the crypt.

"It's okay. I'm okay!" Randy called out from the middle of the hedge. "But can someone help me out of here?"


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: The posting of reviews appears to be down site-wide, but I'm still getting the notifications in my email, so please don't hesitate to tell me what you think! I'm hearing you! Thank you Alex, KittyKat, Country, Dmander, New Reader, Guest, and TrixieDixie for your comments!_

* * *

"Señor and Señora Monk?" a tall thin doctor in his mid-forties said, walking into the examination room with Adrian's charts. "I am Dr. Ronald Marquez."

"Pleased to meet you." Natalie said, shaking his hand.

"So, how goes it, doc? Am I going to be okay?" Adrian asked.

Marquez looked at Adrian and smiled. "You will be fine. No concussion. Just some bruising on your wrists and legs. Should heal up fine."

Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank heaven!" she said. "What about Randy? Is he going to be okay?"

With that, Randy was heard to be whining behind the next curtain.

"Ow! Careful!" he was heard to say.

Marquez looked at Natalie. "Yes, Señor Disher will be fine as well, just as soon as they extract the thorns from his…"

"WHAT!" Leland Stottlemeyer said, interrupting all focus on the doctor. "When did this happen?...You have got to be kidding!...And when was someone going to give us this news?!"

"Leland. What is it?" Natalie said.

Leland looked angry and rolled his eyes then held up his index finger.

"Well you can tell Governor Greasy that if anything happens to Leland Monk as a result of this that I personally will see to it that his EVERYTHING is over!" Leland said before hanging up his cell phone and slamming it on the counter.

Putting one hand on the small of his back he stood there for a moment and puffed.

"Leland. What did the warden say?" Adrian asked.

Leland turned to the Monks and said with sickened amazement, "They let him go!"

"What?!" Adrian and Natalie said in unison.

"Governor Greenway gave him a pardon. Seems as if Dale's attorneys convinced the governor that Dale was far too ill to keep in prison any longer, and that if he died in jail they were prepared with a multitude of lawsuits in hand and would make sure that Greenway was ruined." Leland continued.

"So, he let him out? This guy is responsible for at least two murders that we know of. How can he do that?" Natalie asked.

"Greenway is the governor. It is within his _executive privilege_." Leland said sarcastically.

"So, we go through all this trouble locking Biederbeck up…he later tries to take me down, but we catch him again…and now, he's somehow free?! Incredible. Really makes you glad you signed up to risk your life in law enforcement." Adrian said.

"If he's that sick, he should still be in San Francisco though, right?" Natalie asked.

"That's the thing. They let him out to ostensibly go to UCSF Baker, but he never showed up. They don't even know where he is right now." Leland replied.

"Baker. That's a cancer hospital, isn't it?" Natalie asked.

"Yes, it is." Leland replied.

"I'll bet I know where he is." Adrian replied.

"Where's that, honey?" Natalie asked.

Adrian looked at her and then Leland. "New York of course."

Natalie and Leland nodded in agreement.

"But where?" Leland asked.

"If Biederbeck has been diagnosed with cancer, I would say start with whatever is the best cancer hospital in the city. Even if he isn't staying there, they have to have information." Adrian replied.

"I can call Sharona and ask her if she knows where that is." Randy said, hobbling into the room in nothing but a hospital gown.

"Good idea" said Stottlemeyer. "Meanwhile, I think it would behoove us to do a little checking into the whereabouts of Mr. Gerhardt Castillo. Doesn't sound like he's been around here for a while."

"Great! And once we know where we're going, Adrian and I can make travel arrangements for first flight out in the morning. Rest at the hotel the rest of this evening, and be fresh to fly in the morning." She said.

"Sounds like a plan." Adrian said.

"Wonderful! I'll go talk to Sharona now." Randy said turning around.

Immediately, Adrian covered his face with his hands and then looked at the ceiling. "Oh! The humanity!" he bellowed.

"What?" Disher asked, turning around with a clueless look on his face.

"Pants, Randy. Pants!" Natalie said, closing her eyes tightly and waving her hands.

"They're over there. What about them?" Randy asked.

"Put them on, Randy. Nobody wants to see your a$$!" Stottlemeyer proclaimed.

* * *

On the way back to the hotel Adrian began to get in the front seat but changed his mind, instead choosing to sit in the second row with Natalie, allowing Randy to take the seat up front with Stottlemeyer.

"Well, this is different." Natalie said, putting her arm around his waist.

Adrian nodded. "It's my job." He said.

"Your job? What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm defending your honor." He replied.

Finally, Natalie said, "Defending my honor? How?"

"I believe Randy owes you an apology." He said.

"Apology? For what?" Randy asked.

"For exposing your nude backside to my wife." He said.

"What?!" Randy asked.

"Here we go again." Stottlemeyer said, starting the ignition.

"A gentleman always covers up when there is a lady to whom he is not married around." Adrian said.

"Adrian, I've seen butts before." Natalie said, causing Adrian to look sternly down at her. She shrunk.

He turned back towards Disher and looked just as stern. "Just apologize and it's over." He said.

"I will not." Randy said, defiantly.

"You need to apologize to my wife." Adrian said, raising his voice.

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" Stottlemeyer said.

"Adrian, Randy saved our lives back there. We should be thanking him, not asking for an apology. Besides…" she said, pulling him towards her and whispering something in his ear. His eyes grew wide and then he blushed. Then he just sat there silently smiling.

"Well that was rather rude." Randy said.

"What?" Adrian asked.

"What did she say?" Randy asked. "You don't just go whispering in front of other people. If you have something to say, out with it!"

"That's for me to know and you never to find out." Adrian replied.

"Kids! Kids! Stop it!" Natalie said. "Now, Adrian. Don't worry about it. I wasn't offended and you don't have to defend my honor in this instance. Randy, no need to apologize."

Both men sat quietly for the next twenty seconds.

"Well he started it." Randy said.

"Here we go!" Adrian replied. "Why don't you grow up?"

"You grow up!" Randy replied, as Leland caught Natalie's eyes in the rear view mirror and the two friends just grinned and rolled their eyes.

* * *

Within a couple of hours, Sharona had done a thorough investigation of all cancer hospitals in New York City. Sloan Kettering was deemed to be number one. Next, she used her contacts from Nursing School to try to determine if a very, very large man had checked into the hospital recently. Nobody knew anything until she reached out to her last friend Komeshia Banes.

"Komeshia, doll! How are you, this is Sharona Fleming…actually Sharona Disher now. I got married!" she said.

"Sharona! Girl, how the heck have you been! I haven't seen you in ages!" Komeshia responded.

"I'm doing well." Sharona replied.

"And Benjy? How is he?" she asked.

"Fabulous! He's doing fabulous. Has a steady girlfriend." She replied.

"I'll bet he's a real heartbreaker!" Komeshia said.

"No. He's a good young man. Has to be a good example for his little sister." Sharona said.

"Sister! Girl, you tellin' me you done had yourself another baby?" Komeshia asked.

"Yes. Ophelia. She's just now in school. Won first prize in a beauty pageant recently…which is actually why I called." She said.

"Sharona. This girl has done gotten too curvy to be in a beauty pageant." Komeshia responded.

"Ha! You and me both, Komeshia. Actually, I'm not even calling about that. There were some things that happened recently. Bad things, that stemmed out of that pageant. There is a man that we believe may have been involved in some of these things, that we have reason to believe might have shown up at Sloan Kettering sometime. He's a very large man…at least the last time I saw him. His name is Biederbeck. Dale Biederbeck."

"You're kidding, right?" Komeshia said.

"No. Do you know him?" Sharona asked.

"Know him? I worked for him until last week." Komeshia said.

"Until last week? What happened last week?" Sharona asked.

"Fat slob tried to make a pass at me. Komeshia don't play those games. I done told him I don't care how much money he has, I ain't stayin' here." She replied.

"Sounds like not much has changed." Sharona mused. "Do you know where he lives?"

"Yeah. If you call that living." Komeshia said. "Give me a second, I'll get you the street address."

* * *

The trip from Buenos Aires to New York was considerably calmer than the trip from Boston to Cordoba. Part of this was due to the fact that Adrian had been able to connect to airline's wi-fi and was busy doing research on the internet regarding a hunch he had. This kept his mind off of his fears. The other part was his male ego was still soaring after receiving Natalie's compliments in the car when he confronted Disher.

Looking around the cabin, Natalie felt a quiet contentment that they were all safe until she considered Lee. How was he fairing? Her mother's heart ached to hold her baby boy. "Soon!" she told herself before laying her head on Adrian's shoulder and falling fast asleep.

As she slept, Adrian's line of inquiry was bearing a little fruit. His interest had first been peaked by hearing the story of Felipe Castillo and his wife Hilda Klein coming over on the ratlines - Remnants of the fascist regimes that today would find no welcome home in their former countries. But now that he knew the Biederbeck clan was somehow involved with the family, more questions were beginning to form in his head.

For instance, Biederbeck was a German surname. Hilda and Gerhardt Castillo were also German. He knew that Dale Biederbeck II immigrated to America sometime in the 1950s, but he didn't know from where. He did a search looking for variants of the name Biederbeck on and tried to narrow down the exact place Dale's family may have come from. He determined that even though most of the Biederbecks on the immigration rolls came from the North, around Hamburg- due to a prevalence of the given name Dale, the most likely place that this particular family came from was somewhere around Munich.

Next, he tried to locate women by the name of Hilda Klein living in the area. There were several. He narrowed down the ages and settled on three. One lived and died in Munich and became a nun. One married a man named Wagner and raised a large family just outside the Munich city limits, living and dying on the same farm. And the third left a scant paper trail, appearing on local records just briefly but disappearing as quickly as she appeared. He bookmarked this third one as possibly the same Hilda.

Next, out of curiosity, he wanted to study the Nazi connection. Felipe fought for the Nazis. Hilda left with the ratlines and must have allied herself with the Nazis. He wondered if the Biederbecks came over to Argentina on the Nazi ratlines as well.

Unfortunately, there was no way of determining this with the records he could find online. What he did find of interest was a passenger list from a train moving from Italy into Germany that listed F. & H. Costello (sic) along with a four year old boy named H.H. Gerhard.

"This can not be a coincidence." Adrian said to himself as he then took the name Gerhard and looked for birth records in the area of Munich. There, he found a match. Child name. Heinrich Himmler Gerhard. Mother: Hilda Klein. Father: Unknown. Place: Heim Hochland, Steinhoring, Bavaria, German Reich. Date: 7/31/1941.

"Himmler. So, Hilda named her illegitimate son after the infamous SS leader, Henrich Himmler? I was right about the Nazi connection. But the last name is Gerhardt – which then became the adopted child's first name. I wonder how they all tie to the Biederbecks? It's not the full picture, but at least its' something." He thought.

Finally, he spent a great deal of time studying the Schutzstaffel, or SS, and Heinrich Himmler. As he perused each link, he grew more and more angry at what sorts of things these historical villains had done. Then he worried that one with their same values now had ahold of his son. After several hours of reading, he was about to shut down the computer for a nap when he clicked on one more link. It was a photo of Himmler in uniform surrounded by several children. On Himmler's hat was an insignia of a black eagle perched on top of a golden oak wreath. It reminded him very much of the insignia that he had seen on the Castillo grave in Buenos Aires.

All of the children were in uniform and all of them were blonde. He looked at the caption and stopped again, taking in what he was seeing. He could not read German, but he could see plain as day the words _Himmler_ and _Heim Hochland. _

What manner of twist was this?


	17. Chapter 17

The Monk entourage arrived in New York City a little after six o'clock and wasted no time disposing of their luggage at the hotel - jumping in a rented Jeep Grand Cherokee for the hour long trip to Dale Biederbeck's 46-acre estate on the North Shores of Long Island. By the time they reached the address, night had fallen giving the land an eerie feeling as they turned into his driveway and snaked their way through a seemingly unending canopy of trees and brush which lined the road. Given the time of the year, many of the trees were beginning to shed their leaves, adding to the dark ambiance that the property emitted. But, it was when they reached the actual house that a chill ran down each spine, for there at the end of the driveway, Biederbeck's Victorian style mansion stood, with castle like towers that jutted into points in the sky and an outer fascade of blackened stone – as black as the heart of the owner himself.

Adrian had continued his research until late in their flight and already had a good idea of what it was they were up against, but did not want to tell Natalie or even admit to himself the stakes involved. Nevertheless, he did let her know that he would be confirming some things on this visit that she should steel herself for. If what he believed was happening was true, then Lee was physically safe, albeit temporarily, but was likely being subjected to all sorts of evil influence that they would give their life's blood to shelter him from. She was frightened, but determined to push aside emotion, for now, in order to focus on what they needed to do in order to reunite with their son.

* * *

Stottlemeyer parked the vehicle along a circular driveway with access to the front door, and the Monks, Stottlemeyer, and Randy all climbed out of the Jeep and went up the stairs, stopping at a very tall knotted Alderwood front door decorated with black iron like one would see in a medieval castle. Adrian pulled his sleeve over his hand and grabbed hold of the ornate black door knocker, noting that the design above the heavy bronze garland ring was that of an eagle or phoenix. It all tied together.

Knocking four times, to make it even, Adrian released the knocker and took Natalie's hand as they waited for one of Dale's staff members to open the door. Within seconds, a man in his mid-fifties answered the door.

"Yes. May I help you?" he asked.

"We are here to see Dale Biederbeck." Adrian said.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Biederbeck is not well and will not be taking visitors at present, but if you need to speak to someone about a donation…" he said.

"It's not about a donation." Natalie answered. "It's about our son. If you will, let Mr. Biederbeck know that Adrian and Natalie Monk are here to see him, and it would be best if he let us in voluntarily. Regardless, we WILL be seeing him."

The man looked at the four friends and nodded. "I will speak with Mr. Biederbeck and relay your message. Wait here one moment." He said, before shutting the door.

"Way to go Natalie!" said Randy. "You go, girl!"

Natalie stared straight ahead. "Well, I'll be dipped if we travel all the way out here to see this obnoxious tub of lard and get turned away."

Adrian wrapped one arm around her and rubbed her upper arm. "Oh, we'll get in here. If we have to scale the building, Biederbeck is going to see us."

* * *

Another moment passed and the front door opened once again. This time, it was a shorter Asian man in his late 30s who answered.

"Mr. and Mrs. Monk?" he said.

"Yes?" Adrian replied.

"My name is Andrew Chung. I am Mr. Biederbeck's personal physician. And these gentlemen are?" he asked.

"Detective's Leland Stottlemeyer, and Randy Disher, formerly of the San Francisco Police Department. Together, we run a private detective agency in Boston." Adrian replied as Chung reached out and shook Leland and Randy's hands.

"Pleased to meet you. Come with me." He replied.

As they walked, he continued to talk, leading them through the foyer and up a grand staircase several yards inside the front door.

"Mr. Biederbeck is a very sick man. In fact, we called Hospice in for him three days ago. We expect him to pass any moment now." Chung explained.

This was news that Adrian hadn't really expected, but it did not dull his determination to get to the bottom of what they came there to find out – where to find their son.

"Is he…aware?" Adrian asked.

"Yes. Very much so. He is dying from a cancer that started in his Pancreas and has spread throughout his body. In addition to this, he is suffering from a fatty liver and congestive heart. After years of abuse, his body has finally told Mr. Biederbeck 'enough'. He's going to die. It's any man's guess which illness will be the one that takes him." He said, stopping outside the door. "Anyway, I said all of that to prepare you about his appearance. If it has been a while since you've seen him, he will look quite different. The ravages of disease. You are free to visit him as long as you need to. When you are done, just tell the nurse and she will come get me. You can let yourselves out." Chung instructed.

"Thank you, Dr. Chung." Natalie said, reaching out and touching his arm.

"Mrs. Monk. I know that Biederbeck has a great many secrets and have been around him long enough to know that he is a very bad man. I hope that you find the information that you are looking for before he is gone. Knowing him, he will take it to his grave." He replied, before walking away, leaving the Monks, Stottlemeyer and Disher outside the bedroom door.

* * *

Adrian looked at all three of his partners before reaching out his hand and turning the doorknob.

"Here goes nothing." He whispered as he took his first steps into the room.

Dale Biederbeck's bedroom was completely dark, with the exception of the dull glow of a floor lamp beaming down upon the ripples of his burgundy sheets as they draped over his putrefying body. Along the dark wood paneled walls of the room were large screen television sets, all turned off, the subjects they formerly displayed no longer of interest to their owner. And spaced at various distances around the room were pillared stands displaying remnants of the life that once was. There were photographs of various people he had ruined and political memorabilia from the politicians he had bought. There were lude statues, some that he had personally commissioned from live models he used and abused. And, interestingly, there was an entire section devoted to Dale's younger years, even his childhood. All of it meaningless to him now as he wasted away by the hour in a bed from which he would never again rise.

As the Monks stepped forward, the floorboard creaked, alerting Dale to their presence. The illness had dulled his vision so he immediately ordered that whoever it was should appear.

Quietly, Adrian walked forward and stood next to the bed, with Natalie holding onto his arm, slightly behind.

"Who is it? Who is there?" Biederbeck asked through labored breaths and a raspy voice, weakly lifting his arms up in the air as if they were laden with heavy chains that he could not remove. The doctor was right. Dale's appearance was far different than they remembered. The last time they saw him, Dale was near 800 lbs. and was able to get around with a wheelchair around the prison. Now, he was somewhere less than 200 lbs., much of which was skin. His complexion was grey and greasy in appearance. And, his breathing was very shallow. He was hooked up to tubes and wires and had an oxygen canula attached to his face with tape. Clearly, his death was imminent. And yet, he continued to fight to live.

"Who are you?" he continued.

"It's me. Adrian Monk." Adrian said, flatly.

Dale's eyes brightened and he began to laugh, an action which caused him to choke on the phlegm which clogged his airways. Gasping, he reached onto his bed and retrieved an inhaler. Giving himself a quick puff of its contents, he waited a moment and then was calm enough to talk.

"So…Ayddrian…. I must say it is a pleasant (*cough*) surprise for me to see you – or barely see you as they will. I didn't think that I would have the pleasure before making my way into the great beyond." Biederbeck said before squinting and looking around. " And who is it with you. Do I see the second Mrs. Monk - The Eager Miss Teeger by your side?"

"Dale." She replied.

"And I might guess the other two figures are your trusted friend Leeeeland Schhhhtottlemeyerrrr and that putz, Randy Disher."

"Sorry to see you again, Dale." Leland replied.

"Ah! A comedian! Who'da thunk it!" Dale said, looking around in the dark. "So, to what do I owe this visit, Adrian?"

"You know why we're here, Dale." Adrian said quietly. "Let's not play games."

"Games? Is that what you think this is, Adrian? A game? No sir. This is no game. Call it a course in self-realization – a gift, from me to you." Biederbeck said.

"What are you talking about?" Adrian asked.

"Ha! Oh, Adrian. You truly are the defective detective. Your powers of observation are so stupendous and yet, you've never seen this tiny little thing…that you and I are a lot alike." He said.

"Adrian is nothing like you, Dale!" Natalie exclaimed.

Dale looked at her. "Spunky! Now, shut up and mind your place missy. I'm talking to your husband."

Turning back to Adrian he said. "As I was saying, Adrian. We are a lot more alike than you might imagine. We were both raised in homes where our parents were not able to show us love. We both were considered genius level from birth. Both of us were bullied growing up. And, while I certainly inherited more wealth than you did (and then turned it into some real money) we were both very successful for a time in our careers."

"That doesn't make us alike." Adrian scowled.

"No. You're right. It doesn't." Biederbeck said. "But, how about we try this one on for size. A little bit of trivia, for, let's try it on Detective Stottlemeyer." He turned his head and looked over at Leland. "Did you know… Oh, I can't wait to break the news… did you know that Detective Adrian Monk and I also have this one thing in common…that we loved the same woman!"

Mouths opened in stunned silence, as Biederbeck feigned a mocking gasp, followed by a cough.

"Yesss…..Me and your beloved Trudy….We were once an item!" Biederbeck stated.

"You're lying." Adrian said.

"No. It's true! It was back in high school, when I was considerably smaller than I became. Somewhere around two hundred eighty pounds. I was on the wrestling team and I was a Junior at Ashton Prep. She was a senior. I asked her out on a date. Those days, I could have had practically any woman I wanted. She said yes, and we went out on one date. Did she ever tell you about that?" Dale asked.

"No." Adrian said quietly.

"Ah…that Trudy. Always with the secrets. Was there some reason she couldn't trust you?" Dale sneared.

Natalie held onto Adrian's arm to steady him as she saw his face becoming redder and the vein in his neck begin to pulsate.

"Why are you telling me this now, Dale?" Adrian asked.

"I guess maybe this is my confession." He said. "My cry for absolution before I pass on."

Monk stayed calm. "So. You and Trudy had a history. That's nice to know but it's not what we came here for. Where is Lee?"

"Patience! Patience!" Dale said, waiving him off. "I do have a point. Anyway, Trudy and I. We went out on one date and at the end of the date, I tried to kiss her. She pushed me away, and though I know her mouth was saying 'no, no', I know her eyes were 'yes, yes'.

So, I pursued her. Each day throughout the rest of the school year I tried to make her mine. Do you know that witch told me no? It really hurt my feelings." He said, making a mock cry face.

"She made valedictorian and left for college and I studied really hard and made my way to Berkeley to follow her. I saw the development of her relationship with Ethan Rickover firsthand, and I hated him for it. But ultimately, I believed she had dumped him like she had dumped me. Then she just disappeared. I knew nothing of the bastard child." He said. "That's when I first met Ethan Rickover."

Adrian visibly tensed and Biederbeck smiled.

"Ah yes. I knew your judge. I pretty much owned him. But, his value to me was minimal, until later that is. Because my heart was still bound up in an unrequited love for the lovely Trudy, I could not be where she was at. I transferred to GGU. Nevertheless, though I tried to get away, Trudy was the stuff my dreams were made of, and I never gave up, until… I heard that Trudy had gotten married to some punk detective named Adrian Monk. But even still, I did not give up.

You two went on your way and lived your little provincial life, in your little starter house with your little career as a cop and hers as a freelance reporter, and I went on to make billions. I decided to move on with my life. All would have gone smoothly had it not been for Trudy and that article she wrote in her rag. Really! Calling me the 'Genghis Khan of World Finance'! And they called that journalism? I decided to teach Miss Ellison a lesson and sued. She had rejected me, and now she had embarrassed me. Enough was enough, but of course, you know the rest of _that_ story. Even though I didn't win the lawsuit, my objectives were met. You had to sell your house and I caused the first Mrs. Monk a boatload of heartache. I was done. Good enough. Except I wasn't done – because you weren't done.

After the lawsuit, you and your then partner, the esteemed Mr. Schttttottlemeyer broke up a few lucrative businesses of mine. You cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it was obvious to me that you hadn't learned your lesson. But, what could I possibly do to touch you that wouldn't trace back to me? And, that's when it happened! A miracle!" he said, clapping his hand.

Adrian twitched his neck as Natalie held on to him tightly.

"You know that Ethan Rickover hired Frank Nunn who hired Warren Tennyson to kill Trudy? Right?" he said.

Adrian nodded.

"Have you ever wondered who introduced Nunn to Rickover?" Dale asked.

Adrian's face became redder.

"Or who paid for Nunn and Tennyson to remain quiet all those years?" he continued.

Adrian clenched his jaw and angry tears came to his eyes.

"You…you were part of Trudy's murder?" he asked.

Biederbeck smiled and then laughed through a cough. "I can't believe you never figured that out. How else did Sheriff Rollins find him to take you down? I'm the one who funded his life in Brazil. Of course, I had never thought of actually killing Trudy, but once Rickover came my way I thought, hey, he's going to do it anyway. If I can't have her, nobody should. Yes. I was part of Trudy's murder. And I'm not sorry."

Fury began to course through Adrian's veins, and Natalie held even firmer to him. She leaned up. "Remember why we're here." She whispered. "Remember Lee. We'll deal with this later."

Adrian closed his eyes and tried to focus. He reached up and put his hand over Natalie's then turned and looked her in the eyes. He nodded.

Turning back to Biederbeck he said blankly. "Dale. You're a dying man. My first wife's murder was solved long ago. The extra details you give do nothing for me. Where is my son?"

Biederbeck was clearly disappointed, but gave a sinister grin nevertheless.

"He is away, being prepared." He said.

"Like the Lebensborn?" Adrian asked. Stottlemeyer, Disher and Natalie all looked his way. This was the first they had heard that term.

Biederbeck looked shocked and then smiled. "Ah. You've been doing your research, I see. I should have figured you would figure that much out." He said.

"I've figured out this much. First, you're the guy. Second, your cousin by marriage Gerhardt Castillo, or should we call him Heinrich Gerhard, he's the other guy. You both are connected to the Lebensborn program. Gerhardt directly through his mother Hilda and you through your father Dale Senior. Am I right?" Adrian asked.

"Go on." Dale said.

Looking at Leland, Randy and Natalie, Adrian said. "Here's what happened. Everyone knows the story of the Nazis and their attempts to take over the world. Many people know of their quest for a master race. Less people know that one of the vehicles that they used in order to fulfill that quest was the Lebensborn Program. This was a program where the Reich would have young unwed mothers have their children in the Lebensborn home so that they could then take the most desirable of those children and raise them up to be good little Nazis. Biederbeck's father was one of the first of the children born in the first of those homes. The home in Heim Hochland. He was heavily indoctrinated there.

Many other children were brought to the homes, having been kidnapped from other areas that the Reich had touched, such as Poland. They were to be raised as good Germans. If they didn't measure up, they were killed. Many today don't even know that they were a part of this movement.

However, Castillo was part of the third stream of supply for the Nazis. He was born there, at a later date. By that time, the Nazis had a breeding program where SS troops were encouraged to impregnate as many German women as possible to build their force. Castillo was the result of Hilda's tryst with an SS officer named Gerhard.

Hilda was a true believer in Nazi Ideology as was Dale Biederbeck II. Both the Biederbecks and the Castillos escaped to South America via the Ratlines. Both carried forward the worldview that was drilled into the in the Lebensborn homes. Both still have delusions of ruling the world. Both are trying to do this by rebuilding the old system, and my son is one of the children you hope to use in this system, isn't that right, Dale?"

Dale looked at Adrian. "Bravo! Bravo Detective! Excellent work! Yes! You have it almost figured out. At least, on Castillo's side that is. Lee was accepted by Castillo because he fits the profile. Oh, he's not blonde. We've long since figured out that the color of someone's hair has nothing to do with intelligence. But he has a mind like his father. Gerhardt was thrilled to have received him. Me? It's just plain revenge and a way to build my legacy. You see, Adrian. We've walked parallel paths and each time you have taken from me that which was precious. First, you took my Trudy. Then, you took my freedom. Now, I take your son. Seems only fair." He smirked.

Adrian lunged at Dale, clasping his hands around his neck.

"Enough! Where is he - you filthy piece of trash?" he screamed. Leland and Randy rushed and pulled Monk off of him.

Dale began to cough uncontrollably, and the nurse came running in. He reached for the inhaler again and took another puff, but it was less helpful. Finally, he gasped out a few words. "He's gone Adrian. Not even on this continent or in this hemisphere."

"Dale! Don't do this to us! He's just a baby! Don't confine him to the same loveless fate that you had! Tell me where our son is! Please!" Natalie cried.

Dale shut his eyes and gasped for air. When his breathing calmed again, he spoke.

"In the beginning of this, I told you Adrian that you and I are a lot alike. After I die, you will receive something from me which will prove that out. But for now, (*Cough* *Cough*), I will give the 2nd Mrs. Monk a gift…but only because she said please. Come here dear."

Natalie and Adrian looked at each other and she came forward.

"Go over to that stand over there and bring me that stuffed bear." He said.

She looked confused but did as commanded.

"Natalie. I had this bear when I was a boy. My father gave it to me. It's the only time in my life that I actually felt love. (*Cough* *Cough*). What you said has touched me." He took the bear and hugged it, as his eyes grew dimmer.

"If you find Lee, give him this bear." He said, closing his eyes.

After several seconds more of silence, Monk spoke up.

"That's it?" he asked.

"Shut up, Ayydrian. (*Cough*) This…is…for the formerly eager Miss Teeger." He said, opening his eyes. "Come close to me dear."

She shuttered to do so, but knew that Dale would soon be dead and held out hope that maybe he'd give her something.

"Closer" he said. She leaned forward.

"Closer" he said again, and she complied.

Holding the bear in his left hand, he motioned with is right for her to lean her ear towards his mouth. The stench from his body nearly made her gag. With her ear close to his face, she waited as he reached up and gave her a weak kiss on the cheek. As he breathed his last breath, a single word was given to her for her trouble. "Welllllspring" he whispered, as the bear dropped from his lifeless hand and fell onto the floor.


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's Note: Thank each of you for your feedback on the last chapter. One note about some of the imagery I used. I deliberately drew reference to a scene in the movie Citizen Kane with Orson Wells where Kane is looking back at a snow globe remembering with fondness, his childhood. Now, as a man who had everything - and yet had nothing, he was ending his life alone and unloved. In the same way, Dale Biederbeck's teddy bear was an allusion to less complicated times, and in the same way Dale was at a point of having everything and yet having nothing at all.  
_

_Now, back to the story._

* * *

"My dear children. You have been brought to this place because the world itself needs you." Gerhardt Castillo said, standing in front of the children in his morning lecture. "Today, it stands at a precipice – a giant cliff in the side of a mountain which, if we do not here and now intervene, will mean all of humanity will soon plunge off of that cliff, casting their lives and purpose aside, to meet mortal ruin on jagged rocks below."

Abeo had sat through these lectures for years, and had heard the same lines repeated over and over again. For a while, he had looked around at the world, in all of its chaotic swirl, and genuinely believed that Castillo had a point. But years of service at Wellspring had torn down this delusion to the point that in recent days, Abeo had given up all adherence to Wellspring ideology and had instead sunk into an attitude that the world was corrupt, the Wellspring was corrupt, and there was little he could do about either. Therefore, it was best to just work and stay quiet and find fulfillment in the job until his life was through.

The arrival of Leland Monk had changed all of that. He had worked with children, many of whom already knew they were intelligent beyond the norm, and used this knowledge to manipulate and control. For them, Wellspring provided a sort of discipline that he fooled himself into believing was needed. But not with Lee. Lee was brilliant, even as a toddler. But he was also innocent. There was no malevolence in him at all, and there was no questioning where he stood. If he was happy, he showed that happiness with a joyful innocence that Abeo simply adored. If he was upset, you knew that as well. Abeo didn't want for the child's personality to change, and secretly worried that it would not take long before the Lee Monk that was, was no more. This would be a terrible sin, in his eyes. And yet…what could he do?

"Children. The world is YOUR stage. It is YOUR outlet that we are preparing you for. Very few of you will actually ascend to the top echelon of society; yet, we will use you, and the ones who come after you, to make just as much of a difference in the world as if you had been the High Ruler himself. Some of you will be educators – going into government schools and training young minds into the right kind of thought – just as you yourself have been trained. Others of you will become journalists – reporting the news to the masses in such a way that their malleable hearts are driven to whichever direction the state needs them to go.

Adele, dear. Please tell me who once said this:

'_Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise.'"_

She stood and stared straight ahead. "That would be Herr Hitler, sir."

"Very good. And was Herr Hitler a good man or a bad man?" he asked.

"Herr Hitler was a man ahead of his time, sir. He was very good." She replied.

Abeo was old enough to remember stories from his father of life during World War Two, knew the kind of tumult caused by this one man and the many millions of murders and deaths that he was responsible for. He did not agree with Adele's assessment.

"And what did he mean when he spoke those words? Charles?" Castillo continued.

"Sir, Herr Hitler was speaking to his people within the German Reich about the power that they wielded when they controlled the message that the masses were told." Eleven-year-old, Charles replied.

"Very true! And such is life with you, Charles, and you, Adele, and even you…young Leland. You see, it does not matter whether what one says is _actually_ true as much as whether or not it meets one's objectives. Our objective is to save the world from itself and to bring about a glorious era of peace and harmony. At times, it will be necessary that we say what people need to hear rather than whatever the truth is. Indeed, truth itself is malleable and what we make it to be. This thought is revolutionary indeed, and if in the wrong hands, dangerous. We are teaching you to respect that power and to never misuse it. Our goals will be your goals and each of you will play your part in this new order until we have rid the world of all which challenges our truths. This will likely entail the elimination of many people."

Abeo's ears perked up. "What is this new madness?" he thought. Gerhardt Castillo has spoken much about ruling the world, but he had not, until this point, spoken about eliminating people. This was disturbing, and Abeo wished to challenge him on it. But, it was a child that asked the question.

Seven-year-old Grace Stokes of London raised her hand. "Sir, what do you mean by e-limon-ation of people?"

"Grace. Dear. I'm glad that you asked. Children, one of the things Herr Hitler taught us was that there was a certain purity of races that needed to be preserved. We have since come to realize that he was wrong in the idea that there was some racial divide which could separate the worthy from the unworthy. For example, in my homeland of Argentina, there are many worthy souls who do not fit the stereotypical view that Herr Hitler embraced. Instead, we are able to see today, that the divide should be along intellectual lines and value to the overall party goals. There are some in society who will never change, they will never open their minds to embrace our doctrine, and they will always be an impediment to our overcoming the obstacles which lie ahead. It will be a sad thing to watch, but the world is better off without them." Castillo said.

"Are you saying then, you will kill anyone who doesn't follow you?" Grace asked.

"This is not about me, Grace. This is about OUR Truth. This is about saving the world. When there is a cancer in a system, doctors will routinely operate to remove that cancer in order to avoid losing the whole self. Likewise, there are those in this world who must be eliminated in order that the world may live." Castillo replied.

Abeo looked over at Lee and wondered how much of this drivel he was comprehending. In his heart of hearts, he hoped not much. Looking at the child and then at Castillo he now saw things clearer than ever. Castillo was an evil madman who was not worth following. Lee was a precious child worth saving. And Abeo was a man who for the first time in a long time felt a certain sense of purpose in his life to bring down the house of Castillo and set the children free from his physical and ideological confines. He would do this, even if it cost him his life.

* * *

The Monks, Disher and Stottlemeyer were rushed out of Biederbeck's mansion the moment that Dale had been pronounced dead. It didn't matter that much, for none of them was in much of a mood to hang around or to chit chat. Finally, back in the privacy of their hotel room, Natalie brought a cup of hot chamomile tea to Adrian, as he sat on the room's sofa, and decided to find out how he was doing after such a dramatic event.

"Hey, love. You've hardly said a word since we left Dale's. Are you okay?" she asked, handing him the warm mug and taking a seat next to him.

"I'm okay." He said, quietly. "Actually, I'm doing better than I would have expected."

"How so?" she asked.

Adrian took a sip of the tea and sat it down on a coaster on the coffee table.

Pensively, he took her hand and then looked her in the eyes. "It helped a lot of things make more sense."

"Such as?" she asked.

"Such as what his big deal was with me. I mean, that part had never made sense to me. Trudy wrote her article, which he considered offensive, so he sued us until we were financially ruined. You would think that would be enough. He was a businessman. I'm sure there were plenty of times that he felt people insulted him – and he was known to go after a lot of people and bring them to financial ruin. But that was it. He'd go on to his next plaything while they could rebuild their lives never to hear from him again. Not so with me. It wasn't good enough to nearly bankrupt Trudy and I, but he tried to destroy afterward. I understand he said it was because I had locked him up in jail, because I was smart enough to figure out how he orchestrated the murder of Judge Catherine Lavinio, but that didn't exactly make sense because when I went undercover in the prison over Ray Kaspo's murder, he actually gave me the name of Warrick Tennyson in association with Trudy's murder – and he was right. He told me the truth. He helped me. He also told me that those who killed Trudy were after her, not me. I thought all along she died because of some criminal I had locked up. He said he was absolving me. He didn't have to do that." Adrian said.

"And, how did he know about Tennyson?" she asked.

"Exactly. That part always bugged me as well. He knew about Tennyson. He knew about the six-fingered man, Frank Nunn. Yet, he would never say how he know. I guess I always suspected that he was somehow involved, but second guessed myself because Dale was crazy, but was he crazy enough to go through all of _that _ because someone called him a Genghis Khan?"

"But… if he was in love with Trudy…" she said.

"He didn't love Trudy. Obsessed with her, yes. I don't think Dale ever knew what love was. I think that may be what he meant when he said we were a lot alike." He replied.

"But, you're not." Natalie protested.

"Not in how we lived our lives, or even a lot of our upbringing. But both of us knew loneliness and had a lack of love growing up. Then, I met Trudy and she showed me what love was. Dale never had that. Then, I found you and lightening struck twice. I really don't understand how that could happen. I didn't deserve either of you. I have to be the most blessed man alive, and that no doubt galled him." He said.

"To the degree that he wanted to destroy our happiness." She said.

"By taking our son. And yet, you turned him. Rather easily, don't you think? I mean, he just did an about face in that room …why? Because you said _please_? " he asked.

"No. I don't think it was that. I think it was what I said before. Dale helped you find Tennyson. There was some bit of humanity lurking therein. I believe that he knew who he was and hated himself as much as he loved himself. I believe he was an angry man. Bitter. But somewhere deep inside, he was still that human soul that never knew love. I asked him not to confine Lee to that same fate." She said.

Adrian put his arm around her as she snuggled by his side.

"So, I guess the message in this is that without you and Trudy, I may have ended up like Dale?" Adrian asked.

"No. I don't think so. Dale still had choices in life. So did you. He chose to be evil and to live selfishly." She said.

"I can be selfish." Adrian replied.

"You? Never!" she winked.

He grinned, knowingly.

"Dale didn't have his parents love, but he had all of the other benefits that society could rain upon him. He was a billionaire. He bought people. He had everything money could buy and he used that wealth towards evil means. He didn't have to do that. He had a choice.

I know you better than probably anyone, except maybe Leland. We're probably tied." She said.

He nodded.

"You've got a gentle spirit about you, Adrian. Not that you can't get angry. But you get angry at injustice. And despite the curveballs life has thrown at you, you haven't lost that kind heart. Yes. There are times I could kill you. But I wouldn't trade you for the world or for all of Biederbeck's dollars. You're just perfect the way you are."

He leaned over and kissed her. "Well, I try." He said, before resting his cheek against the top of her head.

* * *

In the few minutes between Morning lecture and lunch, Abeo broke away from Lee and went for what was now his third attempt at reaching the detective agency. Carrying another stack of papers for cover, he looked both ways and carefully slipped into Castillo's office suite. From keeping a close eye on the situation, he knew that Castillo's secretary always stepped out about this time, and realized that he needed to make haste. It was a terrible risk he was taking by being there, but one that he felt was necessary.

He walked up to the desk and again took out the slip of paper with the number on it, picking up the receiver to dial the number once again. He heard the phone ringing.

"Come on! Pick up!" he said under his breath.

Just then, the door to the office came bounding open and Abeo dropped the line.

"Abeo! What are you doing in here?!" It was Castillo's voice.

"See! I told you he was sneaking into your office!" Adele said, coldly.

Thinking quickly, Abeo stuck the piece of paper in his mouth and swallowed it before slowly turning around.

"Master Castillo. I am so sorry!" he said.

"Sorry! I'm not interested in your apology. Who were you calling?" he said.

"Oh…th…that? I was trying to call my sister on the coast. I, I know I should have asked permission. But, since I was delivering these papers to your desk anyway, I thought I would, you know, kill two birds with one stone." Abeo said.

Castillo looked suspiciously at Abeo and walked over to the papers.

"Why would you need to deliver papers to my office when I was not around?" he said, as his eyes narrowed. "Are you lying to me, Abeo?"

"Why…why would I lie to you? I have served you for many years." He replied.

Sizing Abeo up, Castillo said "Why _would_ you? Abeo. The fact is, I don't believe you. The fact is…you are, indeed…lying….is that not correct?"

Abeo remained silent.

"Adele, would you go get the guards? Per our procedures, I do not wish to condemn Abeo without a full investigation. But I do not at this point trust him to the degree that he should be allowed to run free." Adele left the room.

"Abeo, because you have worked here so long, I want to give you the benefit of the doubt. I will be putting you in confinement for the next couple of days." He said.

"But, sir. I have Master Lee to tend to." Abeo pleaded.

"Master Lee is no longer your worry. At least not until the investigation is over. You will still see him at night, which is more for his sake than it is yours. The boy has seemed to take a shine to you. But throughout the day, he will be my responsibility." Castillo said. "Is that understood?"

"Yes sir." Abeo said, staring straight ahead.

The guards walked into the room and led Abeo out and through the hallway. As he walked, he passed Lee who was being transferred to the lunch room.

"Bayo" Lee said, quietly as his friend passed by.

"Abeo has to leave for now young man. I will see you tonight." The man promised as he was led away.

As Lee stood there confused, a man's hand reached down and took Lee by the hand. Looking up, Lee recognized Head-Master Castillo.

"Hello Leland. Abeo, had to go do some things today and he has left me to be your friend today. Come with me, child, and we can go have our lunch together. Doesn't that sound fun?" Castillo said.

Lee did not answer, but tried to understand what was going on. He hated Castillo and Abeo knew this. Something didn't feel right, but rather than react in a way that would draw Castillo's ire, he chose to withdraw into himself and wait until he could see his friend Abeo again.

* * *

The first thing in the morning, the team left New York and headed back to Boston. They had talked about a game plan along the way, with the main goal being finding out what was meant by Wellspring. Already, Adrian had seen that Wellspring was one of the possible meanings of Lebensborn, so that seemed to be Dale's way of confirming what Adrian had surmised. However, he had told Natalie that it was his_ gift_ to her. So, there had to be a greater and perhaps more direct significance. Specifically, they would be looking for organizations called "Wellspring", not in the United States, but "on another continent." In this case, they expected that content was Europe, though they thought it was a bit too easy that it could be in Germany itself.

Walking into their Boston office, each team member went to their respective offices and began to work. Around 9AM, Heather came in and inquired about their trip. She and Ambrose had been very worried about them and were anxious to hear any news at all.

It was surprising to discover how many organizations had called themselves "Wellspring", so much so that Adrian felt that they needed more manpower to sort them all out. So, he pulled up a list on his computer and turned to Natalie to ask for her help.

"Natalie. Document go print." He said.

She looked up from her own research and smirked. "You know how to print a document. I'm pretty busy."

"Document go print! Document go print!" he said, impatiently.

She shook her head and stood up, walking over to his laptop and leaning over him to press a couple of buttons. He took advantage of the situation and pulled her down into his lap, giving her a searing kiss along the way. Then he released her.

She sat there with her mouth agape, as he helped her to stand up.

"You…I was right. You know how to print a document." She said.

He grinned, mischievously. "Of course, I know how to print a document. I just needed a little 'vitamin pill' to get me going this morning." He said.

She stood there disbelieving. "I…I don't know what to say."

"You'll thank you later." He said with a wink as he walked out of the office to hand the list to Heather.

"Heather. How would you like a job?" he asked.

"A job? I have a job." She replied.

"No. Not the receptionist kind of job. A detective kind of job. We need some help." He responded.

"Oh…sure. Whatcha need boss?" she asked.

"I have a list of organizations here that all have the same or similar names. We're trying to narrow it down to just one. Can you go through these and figure out which one have anything to do with children?" he said.

"Sure. I can do that." She replied.

Adrian began walking back to his office as Heather began reading the list.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey, Adrian." She said, slapping her hand down on the paper.

"Yes?" he asked.

"THIS is the name you're trying to look up? Wellspring?" she asked.

With their doors open, the entire team heard both her question and the tone in her voice as she asked it, so all gathered in the main lobby.

"Yes. That's right." Adrian replied. "What about it?"

Heather set the list down and walked over to the telephone. Picking it up, she thumbed through caller ID several times until she stopped at one particular entry.

"This." She said, handing Adrian the phone.

He read the display which said WELLSPNG INST. His eyes grew wide.

"What? What is this?" he asked as the others gathered near.

"It's caller ID. That number has rung here, after hours, 3 different times." She replied. "Never left a message. The actual telephone number is not from around here. It's really weird. Like some other country or something. I figured it was a scam trying to call." She said.

Adrian looked up at Natalie and Leland with hope in his eyes.

"Heather. Phone show number. Phone show number." He said.

Heather took the phone back from him and pressed a couple of buttons, revealing the phone number to Adrian.

For a moment, he was stunned. He blinked and then shook his head and looked at the number again.

"What does it say, Adrian?" Natalie asked.

Adrian looked up at her and smiled. "I…I know that country code. I know someone who lives there."

"Where? Where is it?" Leland asked.

Adrian bit his lip and then smiled. "Natalie, sweetheart. Hold on to your passport. I think now is as good of a time as ever to go visit our old friend Samuel Waingaya in Nigeria!"


	19. Chapter 19

Natalie Monk watched anxiously out the window of her first-class seat as the airplane landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria. They had left Abby at home with Natalie's parents, so it was just the Monks, Leland and Randy making the trip. Having booked the shortest flight possible out of Boston, it had still taken around 15 hours between takeoff and landing to reach this expansive region across the Atlantic. Thankfully, it was still daylight when they approached the city, so there would be time to talk with Samuel and coordinate what would be the next steps in their trip.

As land began to appear, the first thing she noticed was that it was very densely populated – with miles and miles of rooftops below of various shapes and sizes. As they got closer to the ground, she also noticed all the variety in the buildings. She could see the rusted tin roofs of thousands of shacks and shanties lined up along congested streets. These were juxtaposed against more opulent fenced-in areas where the wealthy had homes in the middle of the largest city in all of Africa - holding some 21 million people. It was unlike any place that she had ever seen, and while she was interested in the area and its culture, all of this was overshadowed by thoughts of little Lee. Was he out there somewhere among all of these people? If so, how on earth would they ever find him?

The change in pressure in the cabin was enough to wake Adrian up from what had been a peaceful eight hours sleep. Natalie's shoulder had served as his pillow, and occasionally his head had served as hers. But now that they were landing, he sat up and looked out the window himself, taking her hand.

There was a reason that she always had the window seat, and normally he would play a little game with himself, pretending the outside world did not exist. But, this time he was every bit as anxious at Natalie to see the land in which their child was being kept, and to get him out of there as soon as possible.

The plane landed, and the group was let off directly onto the runway via a set of stairs. From there, they were directed into the terminal where they could retrieve their luggage. They had been in such a hurry to leave, that for once, Adrian carried a normal number of bags, bringing along enough clothing for just a few days. He figured they could buy whatever else they might need once they were in Nigeria, so he only packed what he felt was absolutely necessary, including around twenty bottles of water, just in case…you know, Africa didn't have any.

* * *

Entering the building, the Monks, Leland and Natalie peered through the crowd of African faces, looking for the one face they would find familiar. They didn't have to look far when he found them.

"Mr. Adrian Monk! Is that really you?!" Samuel said as he approached Adrian and Natalie just inside the concourse.

Adrian looked over and smiled. "Samuel! Samuel Waingaya, my friend!" he said, walking over to the man and giving him a hug. "And you remember Natalie." He said, reaching out his hand and gently pulling her forward.

"But of course! How can I ever forget the funniest woman in all of America! Natalie Teeger! How are you my dear friend?" Samuel said, walking forward and giving Natalie a big bear hug.

"Monk." She said.

"What?" Samuel asked.

"Natalie Monk." She reached over and looped her arm through Adrian's then held out her left hand. "Adrian and I are married."

Samuel was astounded! "What! Oh my goodness! When did this happen?!"

"Our fourth anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks." She replied.

"This is outstanding! I must throw you a big party!" Samuel said, before looking over at Leland and Randy. "And, this is Leland Stottlemeyer and Randy Disher! You've hardly changed a bit!" Samuel said.

"Samuel. It's good to see you." Leland said.

"Yes. You look good, bro." Randy said, punching Samuel in the arm.

Samuel flinched slightly but continued to smile.

"Well…let's not just stand here. Let's go get your luggage and then we can talk more on the way back to where you will be staying." Samuel replied, reaching down and picking up Natalie's carry on as the friends all followed along.

* * *

Upon retrieving their bags, they walked out the electronic doors expecting to find a modest car which would then take them to their hotel. Instead, Samuel had a stretch limousine waiting.

"Well. Here we are." He said. "As they say in America, your chariot awaits."

Adrian looked confused. "Samuel, how did you…?"

"How does a mechanic afford a beautiful vehicle like this? Oh…we have much to catch up with Mr. Adrian Monk. Much has changed."

As the group settled into the back seat of the car, Samuel offered them some juice to quench their thirst after their long flight. While he poured their drinks, he began to fill them in with everything that had happened in his life since.

"Well…first of all, welcome to Nigeria my friends. I remember you did not believe me when I told you that you would one day come and visit me in Africa…but I knew…yes, I knew." Samuel said.

"I almost forgot about that." Adrian replied. "When you left my house and headed towards the airport, I felt like I was losing a real friend."

"Ah, but it was only geography. Good friends are never truly parted. They live together in here." Samuel said, pointing to his heart.

The Monks both smiled.

"You're right. It seems like we are just picking up where we left off." Natalie said.

"Yes. But a lot has changed in the ten years since we have seen each other. First. I am no longer working as a mechanic." He said.

"Oh?" Natalie asked. "What do you do?"

"I am a multi-venture businessman." He replied.

Leland leaned forward with curiosity. "What sort of businesses?"

"Adrian Monk is going to laugh. But, when I returned to Nigeria, I sold everything I had and invested in my own laundromat, and I used the machines therein to open up Nigeria's very first American-style laundry service!" he said.

"American style laundry?" Randy asked.

"Yes. Where have you been Randy? You have your whites in one machine, and your off whites in another, and your off…off…whites in the third and so on. Turns out, there was a real market for this in Nigeria and soon, I had everything from hotels to corporations, really anywhere there is laundry, contracting me to handle their laundry. It has made me a very wealthy man!" Samuel said.

The group congratulated him on his success.

"You said, that you were a multi-venture businessman. What else do you do?" Adrian asked.

"Well, once the laundry service took off…I took a little, as they say, venture capital, and invested in these." He said, reaching into the console and pulling out a green plastic bag with a rubber closure on one end.

"What is that?" asked Randy.

"Don't you remember? It is a smoking bag! I will admit that I stole the idea from you Americans, but I modified the design somewhat so that the rubber lip holds the smoke in and you can actually set the bag down. They have been a real hit here as well." Samuel replied.

Leland smirked in recognition of where both of Samuel's ideas had come from and shook his head.

"Well, that's great! Sounds like you've done very well for yourself!" Natalie said.

"Oh, I'm not finished. You and Adrian Monk got married. And, so did I!" Samuel said.

"You did! Congratulations!" Natalie said, smiling.

"Yeah, Congratulations, Samuel!" Adrian added.

"And, my wife Enohor and I are parents of a little girl whom we named Ansara." Samuel said.

"After your first wife?" asked Randy.

"Yes. To honor her memory. Adrian Monk, this reminds me, I trust that you solved the murder of your Trudy as well?"

"Yes. Shortly after you left." Adrian said. "You're right. Knowing was everything. I just couldn't move forward until I knew."

"I understand, my friend. And now Heaven has looked down upon you and given you someone else to love." He said.

Adrian looked over at Natalie, who still held on to his arm.

"Yes. He has given me my Natalie" he said with tenderness. "And, as a bonus, I received Julie and two other children as well." Adrian replied.

Samuel looked at Natalie and Adrian and pointed to each of them. "You…you had …children? Together?"

"Yeah, can you believe it? I didn't think Monk was capable." Randy said.

"Randy. Don't start it." Leland scolded.

"What? I think most people thought that was the case. I mean look at his name – Monk! Doesn't that just scream celibacy for life to you?" Randy said.

Leland rolled his eyes. "Randy. Stop it."

"Didn't mean anything by it. Just I was surprised he had it in him." Randy mused.

Adrian had enough, "I did it twice as good as you." He said.

"What because I had one kid and you had two?"

"I had two at one time! Twins." Adrian replied.

"You two. Stop it! Good grief." Natalie said. "And, by the way…I'm the one who _had _the babies."

"Yeah, but I carried your symptoms as well. Remember, the sympathy pregnancy?" Monk reasoned.

"How could I ever forget?" Natalie said, rolling her eyes.

Samuel started laughing. "Ah yes! There is the Adrian Monk I know and love. Still like a big crying infant! Ha,ha,ha! Oh, Natalie! I feel for you! You have three babies to take care of!"

Natalie covered her face with one hand stifling a giggle, but then looking sad, and finally beginning to cry.

"Oh no. What did I say?" Samuel said, perceiving her change in expression.

Adrian placed his arm around her and kissed her on the head as a pained expression made its way to his face as well. He sighed.

"I don't really know where to begin, other than to say this is not just a pleasure visit to Nigeria." He stated. "Our son, Lee, was taken from us at a party near Boston by some kidnappers. We've been searching and searching for him ever since. We received a tip that he might be at a place called Wellspring. And then, we received calls from a place called Wellspring Institute in Nigeria. Because there was no message left, we couldn't just call the number. We don't know what sort of straights he is in. But, the moment that I saw where the Institute was, I immediately knew I could call on my good friend Samuel to help sort it out." Adrian said.

"Oh my! This is terrible! Of course, Adrian Monk. Samuel Waingaya would be very happy to help you find your son. Did you say that the name of the place was called Wellspring?" he asked.

"Yes. Wellspring Institute. It is what came on the Caller ID on the Telephone Display at our office." Adrian explained.

"The phone number associated with it had a Nigeria prefix." Natalie added.

"I see. Well…I run a large business in this country and there are several other businesses in the area with Wellspring in their name." Samuel said.

"This would be associated with children." Adrian replied. "We believe it is some sort of cult that seeking to build a master race and rule the world."

"Seriously? You mean like the Nazis?" Samuel inquired.

Adrian looked at his friend and smiled. Samuel may have been a simple man when he met him, but that didn't mean he wasn't well learned. He had married a schoolteacher and had shown a great ability to recognize clues and use deductive reasoning all the way back then.

"Yes. Exactly like the Nazis. The guy heading it up is a guy named Gerhardt Castillo. We believe he was part of a Nazi breeding program." Monk replied.

"Oh my!" Samuel said. "So you think your son Lee is with someone like this?"

"Yes. We do." Adrian said softly.

Samuel reached out his hand. "Well, I always said that there was no greater friend than Adrian Monk. And, Adrian Monk, I want you to know that in Nigeria, you have no greater friend than Samuel Waingaya. I have many, many contacts all over this land. People I trust. If Lee is here, we will find him."

"Thank you, Samuel. We need every ounce of help we can get." Adrian stated. Then, reaching into his jacket, he took out a piece of paper. "Here. This is the number that called us. Perhaps you will find this helpful."

Samuel took the slip and looked at what Adrian had written. "That number is not from Lagos. I think I have seen the first few numbers there somewhere near the mountains in-country. Maybe around Abuja. I have a few stores out in that region. I will reach out to my friends there in the morning and see if they have heard of this place."

"Wonderful. But, be careful. I don't know if this 'business' runs itself as a public business or if it is a private venture that tries to stay hidden. We don't want to tip anyone off that we are investigating them, or it could put Lee in danger." Adrian said.

"I understand. We must exercise great caution. Don't worry, Adrian Monk. Samuel is on the case. We will get Lee back."

* * *

To their surprise, the Monks were not taken directly to the hotel. Instead, the limo pulled into Samuel's palatial estate where it was explained to them that no friends of Waingaya would be staying in a hotel. Instead they were to be his house guests as long as they stayed in country, and would be treated as royalty at his command.

After meeting Samuel's new wife and daughter, they were led to guest rooms that had been prepared for their arrival. Samuel had spared no expense and even remembered to provide fresh, in the wrapper, sheets and bedding for Adrian and Natalie to use. It was going to be an early morning – not that with all the globetrotting they could even feel biorhythmically when morning was supposed to be. But, they were encouraged to get some rest anyway. Samuel would make some calls first thing in the morning, and then they would scope out a plan of attack from there.

* * *

It was hard for the Monks to sleep, knowing how close they were to their son, and they had assiduously avoided talking about things in too much detail when they were alone together because they knew that it would likely just cause them both to fall apart. They had to be strong and both Adrian and Natalie had put on a brave and steady front, even while their hearts were broken inside. Now, that they had Samuel on their side and might even know a city, enough hope had flooded in that they were able to engage in a little surface talk.

As Adrian spooned next to Natalie, he noticed her eyes were wide open and she was looking out the open door to their balcony. He hugged her tightly, then kissed her on the cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She clasped his hand and brought it up by her throat, holding it to her. "Yes. I'm alright. Just thinking."

"About Lee?" he asked.

She kissed his hand and looked up, "Who else? I wonder where he is tonight. What he's doing? I wonder if they are being good to him. I wonder, what they told him about us. I wonder how he is coping."

Adrian had thought all of the same thoughts and more. Some inconsequential, but some quite dark. He would not be sharing those with Natalie.

"Well, it's night. So he's probably sleeping. And, while I have no idea what they told him about us, Lee is a smart boy, I'm sure he hasn't forgotten we love him." Adrian replied.

"He doesn't forget anything. He's like you." She said.

"I know. Poor kid. I know this. In the Lebensborn program, they usually didn't harm children unless they were deemed unsuitable for the Reich. Lee would be a jewel in anyone's crown. I seriously doubt they would harm him physically." He said.

"But, mentally?" she asked.

Adrian flinched. He didn't want to answer that question, because he had concerns that even in this short amount of time, they could do real psychological damage to his son, so he just responded, "That's what we're here to prevent. We're going to get him back, and we're going to get Castillo shut down so that he never does this to anyone again."

* * *

In a compound in the mountains near Abuja, Abeo also sat up awake, still sequestered to his room. One of the security features of the compound was an inability to see incoming or outgoing phone numbers. The reason for this was that Castillo didn't want any reference to the outside world, inside the compound, lest a curious child pursue that avenue and inadvertently give away "the store." This had worked to Abeo's advantage, since the investigators had no hard evidence that he hadn't tried to call a sister – and getting these sorts of records from a telephone company for such a remote region was simply out of the question. It would take weeks.

In spite of the lack of evidence, however, Castillo had not released Abeo from his confinement. This troubled him greatly. He knew that he needed to get a message to the states where Lee Monk was being held, but to do so would be a great risk to his life and even, perhaps, Lee's. So, he sat awake, all through the night, praying for an answer, thinking through his options, and pushing aside years and years of conditioned service that taught him not to question those in a higher class than himself. In his mind, Gerhardt Castillo was a very wealthy but evil man. Abeo saw himself as much wealthier, for he had a sense of goodness and morality and a kind heart that Castillo simply did not possess, nor could he understand.

Perhaps this was exactly the advantage he needed.

Castillo did not know love because he could not love. He did not know kindness, because he was not kind. He did not know selflessness, because he had lived a life full of self and saw the promotion and preservation of the self as the key ingredient to every human's psyche. It's what he preached. In the end, he did not know what Abeo knew and had no ideological framework to comprehend a selfless love that sought the promotion and protection of others – just because it was the right thing to do.

Yes. This might be the key to overcoming these obstacles. This might be the key he needed to get Lee away from Castillo. Abeo was coming up with a plan.


	20. Chapter 20

Gerhardt Castillo's secretary entered Lee's room first thing in the morning only to find the bed empty. Panicked, she rushed down the hallway to Abeo's room and swung the door open. Abeo was already up and was standing in his bathroom shaving when he heard the commotion.

"Abeo! Where are you?" she said in a frenzy.

Abeo walked out of the bathroom dressed in a colorful pair of pants and a sleeveless t-shirt. "I'm over here, Ma'am. What is troubling you this morning?" he asked.

"The child. He is gone! You were supposed to be guarding him during the evening. Oh, the Master is going to be very angry at this." She said.

Abeo set down his razor and leisurely wiped shave cream off of his face.

"The boy is not gone. You are mistaken." He said, walking towards Lee's bedroom.

She followed. "Don't tell me that I'm mistaken." They reached the door. "Does that LOOK like I'm mistaken?"

Abeo could already see a slight movement of shadows coming from underneath the bed as he walked into the room. Bending down on his knees he looked underneath the bed to discover Lee laying down, sucking his thumb and clinging to the pillowcase as he had most nights that he had been there.

"Good morning, Master Lee. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

Lee shook his head no.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like…" he said at first, then thinking of his plan he winked and motioned with a 'shhhhh' motion with his mouth to Lee, whose big brown eyes watched with interest. "Lee! I do not know what you are doing underneath the bed, like some small dog hiding from its owner. You are a child of the Wellspring! Come, child! Get out from underneath the bed and get ready for the Head Master's class. You have much to learn today."

Lee looked confused, so Abeo physically slid further under the bed and whispered – "we are going to play a game, Abeo loves you, but right now, we must pretend."

Lee was still unsure but came out from underneath the bed and wrapped his arms around Abeo's neck. Abeo stood, and Lee looked around, spotting the secretary. He buried his head in Abeo's chest.

"What is wrong with the child?" the secretary asked.

"Shyness, ma'am. He is but two years old. But we are working on that. He has yet to discover his exalted status." Abeo said.

"Indeed. You must work with him to not climb around on the floor. He mustn't get dirty. Master Castillo would not be pleased." She said.

"We will, ma'am. Now, if you don't mind, I'm sure he needs to clean up. I will bring him down to you when he is ready." Abeo said.

The secretary looked him over. "See to it that you do." She said before leaving the room.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Abeo looked at Lee. "Excellent work, Master Lee! Do you think you can continue to pretend?"

Lee grimaced. "Why?"

Abeo whispered. "Because, we're going to try to trick Master Castillo into letting you come back and be with Abeo."

"I be with you?" he asked.

"Yes. Would you like that?" Abeo asked.

Lee thought. "I no like Master Stee-oh. I stay wif Bayo. But, I miss Mommy and Daddy." He said, with a pout as he began to whelm up again.

"Now, Lee. Abeo is going to get you back to your parents – your real parents. But you mustn't cry. Until I can figure out how to get you free, you have to pretend. You have to pretend like you are fitting in here, that you like it here." He said.

Lee furrowed his brow. "I no think so."

"It's just pretend. You know, like _acting_. Have you seen actors before?" Abeo asked.

"I know actor. Daddy act like him like Grandma when her comes over to see Mommy." Lee said.

Abeo chuckled. "Ah, so you come from a normal family."

"I don't think so." Lee said, then he giggled.

Abeo patted him on the head. "Well, get ready young man. If we don't hurry down, the secretary will be suspicious. Today, you're going to be an actor."

* * *

Samuel and his American friends went into the city to visit Samuel's business first thing in the morning. Traffic in Lagos was crazy, with hoards of people walking on foot nestled around bumper to bumper traffic. Luckily for the Monks, Samuel's laundry service headquarters were right on the edge of town, so they didn't have to feel the claustrophobic push of so many people all at once.

When they entered the building, the first thing they noticed was how well-respected Samuel was amongst his employees. Everyone smiled when they saw him, and he took a personal interest in everything that they were involved in. With one lady, he asked how her son had done at a recent football game. To a man, he asked if his wife had delivered their first child. On, and on, he knew them all and knew a story about them all. If one did not know him, they would think he were a skilled politician, or a minister, rather than a businessman – but, to the Monks, he was the same Samuel whom they had grown to love ten years prior. It was good to see him again.

As they walked into his office, his secretary, Chinara, walked up to him with a print out that he had requested before even leaving the house.

"Here are the listings you requested." She said, before nodding at his visitors and leaving the office.

Samuel looked over the list of businesses near Abuja that his business serviced which had the name Wellspring and were associated with children, or businesses associated with the name Castillo. It was a long shot, he thought, but he had to start there.

On the second page, he found a business that peaked his interest.

"Oh…oh Adrian and Natalie Monk! Interesting!" he said.

"Did you find something?" Adrian asked, as the group all gathered round.

"_Isi Iyi _near Madalla. That is about 35 minutes outside of Abuja." Samuel said.

"Isi Iyi? What is that?" Natalie asked.

"It is the Igbo language. It means the Source." Samuel replied.

"The Source? Why is that interesting?" Leland asked.

"The Source can be the same as a water spring or a fountain." Samuel said.

"Or a Wellspring?" Adrian asked.

"Indeed, Adrian Monk! But what was really interesting is the name of the President of the organization." He said.

Adrian looked at the paper, then up at Samuel. "G. Castle?"

"Variant of Castillo, no?" he responded.

"Maybe. Do we have a number?" he asked.

"I'm sure we do." He picked up the phone and dialed two digits. "Yes, Chinara. Can you look up the telephone number for business #238?"

While they waited, the team discussed strategy.

"So…if this is him, what's the game plan?" Randy asked.

"Well, I think the first thing we need to do is get someone inside to scope the place out. Possibly see if Lee is there." Samuel said.

"Do you have anyone you can trust to do that?" Leland asked.

"Oh, yes. My cousin Emanuel. He is like a brother. And, he knows about you too, Adrian Monk. And you, Natalie! I'm sure he will help us." Samuel said.

Chinara walked back into his office with a piece of paper and handed it to Samuel.

Samuel took the other piece of paper out to compare, then smiled. He looked up at Adrian. "Oun ni eniyan na."

Adrian smiled and looked at Leland and Randy.

"What does that mean?" Leland asked.

"Oun ni eniyan na – he's the guy." Adrian replied.

"I will call my cousin." Samuel said.

As Samuel dialed the phone, Adrian walked over to Natalie and put his arm around her back, and she around his waist.

"I didn't know you spoke Nigerian." Randy replied.

"It's actually, Yoruba." Adrian answered. "And, you don't know a lot about me." He raised one finger. "You think you know…but, you don't know." He said, walking back over to Samuel's desk to listen to the conversation.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Randy asked.

"I have no earthly idea. I've long since given up trying to figure out what goes on in that man's head." Leland replied, shaking his head.

* * *

After Lee got dressed, Abeo carried him down the front stairs and straight to the secretary's office. Castillo was on his way out of his own office and spotted the transaction.

"Abeo! I thought I placed you in confinement. What are you doing down here?" he asked.

Abeo stood tall. "Sir, I was just bringing Master Lee down for his classes."

"You were just? See…that's what I don't trust about you. You should just obey and that be the end of it." He said.

Abeo remained silent.

"Well, as it were, our research into your story has not turned up anything to say you were lying to me about the phone call." Castillo said. "So…I was going to release you from confinement this morning anyway. "

Abeo breathed a sigh of relief.

"…if, your mentee can pass this small test." Castillo said, walking around Abeo and looking directly at Lee. "Please, set him down on the ground."

Abeo did as commanded.

"Good Morning, Leland. I have noticed how quiet you have been in class while everyone else recites. Now, Mr. Abeo has said that the two of you have been working on your creed. Can you recite it for me?"

Lee looked at Castillo stone faced.

"Aw, come on. Just a little bit. I want to see what you and Abeo have been working on." He said, as he looked up at Abeo menacingly.

Abeo stood at attention, but looked through the side of his eye at the interaction. Lee remained silent.

Castillo stood and got eye to eye with Abeo. "You have taught this child nothing. You know how I hate to be lied to. That's it. I'm done. I am bringing you up on charges of treason. You will stand before the council of elders this time tomorrow. You will no longer be allowed to see this child, Leland Monk. Rather, he will be transferred to a room near my quarters. Do you understand?"

"Sir." Abeo said with concern. "It is not like this. He is just a baby. He can learn."

"Guards, out with this trash." Castillo said, as the guards grabbed Abeo by his arms and began to drag him away.

"No!" Lee said, reaching out for Abeo.

"Child, come with me." Castillo said, taking Lee by the hand. Lee let his legs drop out from under him and began to kick.

"Let me go!" Lee screamed, before bending over and biting Castillo in the hand. Castillo raised a hand to hit the child, but missed. Lee went running towards Abeo and hid between the man's legs.

"No. I stay wiff Bayo! NOooooo!" Lee said running around in circles, as the guards tried to pin him down. Finally, Castillo stepped directly in front of Lee and halted his progress.

"I see in addition to not teaching the child the creed, you've taught him no manners as well. Both will be locked in confinement until I decide what to do with you." Castillo said.

"Sir. He's just a child." Abeo pleaded.

Lee began to cry. "I want my mommmmmmy! I want dadddyyy!"

Castillo became angry and grabbed Lee by the arms

"We already told you, child. WE are your mommy and daddy! They gave you away. We are here to help you grow into who you were meant to be." Castillo said.

"That's right Lee! Remember what Abeo told you upstairs. Your future is here! Now ACT like the young man we know you are!" Abeo said.

Lee got stern faced and looked at Castillo in the eyes. "Let me down!" he ordered.

Castillo did so. "Now, are you ready to go to class."

"No. No class. Say Creed." He replied.

Abeo looked at Lee with curiosity. He certainly hadn't taught him any of that mumbo jumbo. Would he be able to say any of it?

Lee looked straight ahead and recited. "_I am child of the Wellspwing. I am here to change the world…"_

After Lee recited the creed, word perfect, Castillo let go of his hand. He looked at Abeo and then at Lee.

"He did that better than the children who have been reciting for a week. Congratulations Abeo. You live another day." He said, turning to go towards the classroom. "You may rejoin your station at his side. I am satisfied that you told the truth."

Abeo picked Lee up and followed a ways behind Castillo as they headed towards class.

"Excellent job, my friend." Abeo said. Lee grimaced.

"What's the matter, Lee?" Abeo asked.

"Dis Acting is for the birds!" Lee responded.

* * *

It took two hours between the time that Samuel charted a private plane in Lagos and the time it landed an Abuja, but the team kept working even while they were in the air. Samuel received notification from his cousin that they had a planned delivery of linens to the Institute later that afternoon, and expressed the intent that he would use that time to scope out the place. Natalie emailed Emanuel a photograph of Lee so he could be on the lookout. However, this was not good enough for Adrian.

"If he's going in there, I'm going with him." He said.

"Now, Monk. Don't get impatient, just let the guys do their job." Leland reasoned.

Samuel agreed. "He's right. Adrian Monk, this may be very dangerous. You have the curly hair, but you do not have the complexion. You will not blend in."

"Samuel, listen. It's like this. If Emanuel goes in there and sees Lee, it's going to be several more days before he gets that opportunity again. We can't just send the police. Things could get violent. Lee is two years old, and very smart. He won't go with any stranger. But, if he sees me, I can rescue him." Adrian replied.

"How? How would you do this?" Samuel asked.

"I have an idea." Adrian replied.


	21. Chapter 21

Natalie paced the floor as she watched, via cell phone video conferencing, Adrian, Samuel and Emanuel traveling along the road towards the Institute. The technology itself was something that Ambrose had introduced Adrian to as a way that the team could communicate to one another when apart; but it came to mind as being perfect for this situation, as it would provide video evidence of what was going on as well as a level of security for those going behind the gates, in case they got caught.

Not only was Samuel close to his cousin Emanuel, but he had connections within local law enforcement too and alerted them to be on standby for a potentially dangerous situation. They wanted to ask questions, but he used his personal clout to tell them that it was nothing definite; and that he, or his friends from America, would bring them in on things as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Leland had called FBI headquarters and informed them of their progress on the case. Being that they were in a foreign country, he was most concerned about getting into some sort of entanglement that would require leverage from Washington to get out of. If that is what it came to, that was fine. But, if possible, he wanted to keep Washington and the Press Corps out of the situation as much as possible since leaks would be deadly. It would take at least a day and a half for the FBI to organize foreign field agents anyway; so, the call was mainly for informative and future extraction and indictment purposes.

With all parties in place, an almost unbearable tension saturated the atmosphere around both groups as the quickly-hatched plan began to be carried out. Natalie, Leland and Randy watched, as control over the video conference was transferred to Samuel's phone and Adrian climbed into the large rolling canvas laundry cart that contained all of the fresh linens that they were delivering to the Institute. Normally, the company sent out their workers two by two as a part of the routine, so they did not expect that anyone would suspect their presence there at all. Nevertheless, they were all very nervous. This was either going to go very well or very poorly. Only time would tell.

* * *

The laundry truck pulled off of the main road onto a bumpy mountainous road covered with trees. Nigeria was not a heavily mountained area, but where they existed they were usually used for national parks or wildlife preserves. Wildlife in Africa, was of course quite different from wildlife anywhere else. As such, one did not dare walk around certain areas on foot lest one unexpectedly run into a Lion or a Hyena.

Adrian was nestled underneath stacks of clean towels and sheets, which he didn't mind at all. He had adequate breathing space while still being hidden, and he had enough room underneath to watch through his own cell phone what Samuel's screen was recording on. If he spotted Lee, he was to signal by a quiet text message from his phone to Samuel's which was set on vibrate.

Also, underneath the linens were several semi-automatic weapons. Because this was a school with a high potential for collateral damage, they were prepared to use these only as a last resort.

As the truck came to a stop, Samuel and Emanuel opened the back portion and together lifted the cart onto the ground. Rolling it up a ramp to the front door, they knocked on the door and waited. A few moments later, an older child opened the door, at which point Emanuel showed her his credentials and he was permitted to go to the guard station.

The guard was busy texting someone on his cell phone and was half paying attention to what was going on in front of him.

"Excuse me. We have a delivery to make" Emanuel stated, at which point the guard looked away from his text and asked to see some identification.

He looked up the ID's and read the badges.

"Samuel Waingaya? I guess you're relation to the businessman?" he asked.

Samuel froze for a moment. "Yes. He and I are very close." He replied.

"That must be nice. He's done a lot for the economy throughout Nigeria…Okay, everything looks in order. Go ahead." The guard said, without even checking the cart as it rolled in.

With a map of the building in hand, showing where drop of and pick up locations were located, they watchfully rolled the cart and Adrian down the corridors of the Institute. The children were done with school for the day and most of them were gathered in the cafeteria; so, while the kids all ate and talked, Samuel and Emanuel made the kitchen the first stop for laundry pickup and delivery.

"Dirty dish towels are over there." said one of the kitchen workers, a woman in her mid-forties who was dishing out rather bland looking food into a bowl for a child to take back to the dinner table.

"Thank you, ma'am." Emanuel said, as they began to roll away.

Samuel deliberately moved his body so that the entire lunchroom could be seen.

* * *

Back at headquarters and in the cart, Natalie and Adrian both watched for any sign of their beautiful child. He was nowhere to be seen.

"What if this isn't the place?" Natalie asked to Leland.

Leland looked. "Well, it is an institute for children. Let's just wait and see."

* * *

Emanuel took a plastic garbage bag and filled it with soiled kitchen linens, replacing the old linens with new. Being encased in plastic, Adrian believed it wouldn't be a problem to roll around with the dirty linens – however, he hadn't counted on the smell. These dirty dish towels, in particular, had been sitting around for a while and wreaked with a heavy musty smell. Adrian felt as if he could sense the germs crawling their way out of the bag and making their way over to him. He instinctively wanted to throw the bag out of the cart, but exercised self-restraint trying instead to just focus on the screen. Come on Lee, where are you?

They went further and further into the compound, into each bedroom, into each bathroom but again saw nothing. In one of the rooms, and only one of the rooms, they discovered clothing the size of a toddler. They knew that this had to be Lee's bedroom.

As they continued along the route, Adrian continued to be piled upon with stacks and stacks of dirty clothing. Wet towels, soiled wash cloths, Dirty sheets and pillowcases. With each new stack, his imagination worked against him to the point that it was all he could do to keep from jumping out of the cart and running as far as his feet would take him. But, just when he thought it was all that he could take, Samuel and Emanuel were approached by the guard once more, inviting them to stay for a few minutes to watch a special Autumn Equinox presentation by the children in the Institute's auditorium.

"You will enjoy this. And perhaps you can speak to your relative and maybe he will want to donate to our worthy cause." He heard the guard say.

Samuel nodded and pulled the cart over against the wall of the auditorium, standing at the back of the room where visibility was high. Within moments, the secretary came out on stage and made some short announcement to all in the room that the students were going to be showing some of the skills that they had learned so far in the year, and that all were to encourage them in their learning excellence.

* * *

The first students to walk out on stage participated in a spelling bee. Some of the words they were given to spell, Adrian didn't even know. But, they aced them. Then, without emotion, they turned around and walked away from the stage.

"Next, our first physics students will explain some of the theories they have been studying and present to you an experiment demonstrating those theories." The secretary said.

On and on, one after one, brainwashed emotionless children walked on stage and presented their skills like trained monkeys on a street performer's shoulder. With each child, each member of the team became angrier and angrier. These children weren't allowed to be children. They were tools for some psychopath's disgusting dreams. Without a doubt, they needed to end this and quickly.

When all of the individual students were done, the last 'act' that was to follow was Head Master Castillo's own special class for new initiates to the Wellspring. After some introductory comments by Master Castillo himself, the group was to move forward and recite the creed and then go back with their sponsors for Castillo's closing address.

Castillo walked out on stage, looking older than the Monks had seen in photographs, yet still having a prideful look about him. He took to the podium and smiled a snake-like smile at the children, thanking them all for what was proving to be a tremendous school year.

"Now, many of you have been with us for six or seven years, ever since the Institute opened its African branch. You remember the humble beginnings that we came from. You have grown to see the peril the world is in without your help. But, I'm here to tell you that this day, in 2019, we have more hope than ever before of addressing that peril with you and with the new crop of students coming on. I know you will be an encouragement and an example to them as each learns their role. Who knows, our future leader may be among them – and you will be able to look back and say that you knew him when. Without further delay, I present to you, my Initiates Class, who will repeat their creed before you this evening. Children?"

* * *

The groups watched the cell phone display as a group of five children walked out onto the stage and stood at attention. Adrian and Natalie's heart skipped a beat when among them, walking out and standing front and center, was their brave little boy, who walked out to the microphone and straightened it up before taking his place.

.

"Oh, Leland! It's him! It's him!" Natalie said, as Leland wrapped his arm around her and laughed, mesmerized by the screen.

Adrian's reaction was different. Having seen first-hand the cold empty expressions on all of the children's faces, and now seeing his own stoic child, his anger was rising. As the children began to recite the creed, he twitched at the things that his son was being made to say. Anger was becoming fury. In fact, if it weren't for the collateral damage it would cause, it wouldn't take much for Monk to stand up and use the weapons against his son's captors, Rambo-style. It wouldn't be pretty, but he believed it would feel gratifying. Nevertheless, he stayed still, now oblivious to the germs around him, and waited and watched what happened next.

* * *

When the words of the creed were recited, the children were dismissed from stage and went to their handlers. The team watched as Leland walked over to an older black man and climbed up on his lap, sticking his thumb in his mouth. The man looked kind and patted him on the head. Clearly, he was someone Lee had grown to trust.

* * *

"He's sucking his thumb. He only does that when he is nervous." Natalie explained. "Or…afraid."

Leland patted her on the back. "Well, help has arrived. Soon."

* * *

As the presentation ended, the guard walked up to Samuel and began to talk.

"Wasn't that great? That…that's our future!" he said smiling and looking around the room.

"Yes. It was incredible. That's for certain." Samuel said standing by.

"Do you think your friend might invest?" the guard asked.

"Oh, he is always interested in helping children." Samuel replied.

The guard looked back at the cart full of bags and then back to Samuel.

"Hey. Looks like you guys are done. I'll tell you what, I need to go get my phone, but I'll escort you back out to your truck."

Samuel paused, but had no good response. They would have to leave for the evening.

Once the guard walked away, both teams listened as Adrian said "We're not leaving without Lee."

Samuel looked around to make sure nobody was watching. "We made all of the drop-offs. It is too dangerous to stay. I can speak with law enforcement…"

"No! We're not going. My son is here. We're going to get my son." Adrian said.

* * *

Back at headquarters, Leland, Natalie and Randy were listening.

"Oh, this is not good." Leland said.

"Why is Monk fighting them? They can't stay." Randy said.

Natalie for once understood Adrian's penchant to take risks. "They have to." She said softly.

"Natalie, this is too dangerous for all involved. Samuel's right. We need to involve the locals." Leland replied.

Natalie said nothing but listened to the dialogue on the other side.

* * *

"Adrian Monk. Be reasonable. We can come back tomorrow." Samuel said.

Adrian stuck his head out from under the bags.

"I'm not leaving. Cover me." He said.

"What? No! What are you going to do?" Samuel asked.

"Nevermind that. Just stand in a way they can't see me. And have the truck parked outside the gate and waiting." Adrian replied.

"But Adrian…" Samuel said.

It was like talking to a brick wall. Adrian pulled himself out from under the bags, taking two firearms with him, and slipped quietly outside the cart. He scampered across the floor, and hid in a utility closet. There, he would wait until light's out, head up to Lee's room, and abscond with his son, or so was the plan.

In the darkness of the closet, he turned to text Natalie.

_Phone battery is diminishing. Can't talk long. I am going to get him and I'm going to bring him safely back to us. I promise. Wait for my text that says we're safe. I love you. Adrian. Monk._


	22. Chapter 22

Night fell in Abuja and soon the call went out throughout the compound that everyone was to go to bed. Adrian stayed crouched at the back of the utility closet trying to remain quiet until there was no more evidence of anyone outside. Quiet was not an easy thing because once or twice he felt something flying around his head that sounded like a fly, and having read up on the infamous tsetse flies which inhabit much of tropical Africa, he now had in his mind that he was going to get bit by the thing and would soon develop the sleeping sickness that such an insect could bring on, possibly resulting in his death.

When at last all was quiet, he made his move. First, standing up in the closet and using the light from his cell phone to make his way quietly to the door, he tried the handle and it was locked! Panic set it, and he tried to talk himself down while figuring a way to pick the lock. With a little ingenuity and copper wire that he found within the closet, he was able to fashion a tool whereby he picked the lock and reentered the main building.

Around thirty feet from where Adrian stood, inside his office, Gerhardt Castillo had just finished making up the next day's lesson plan. He had received his final payment from Dale Biederbeck in the mail, and was making good on his promise to rename Monk's child after his sponsor. Since Dale did not father natural children, this was his way of making sure that the Biederbeck name would go on and getting even finally with Adrian Monk.

The next day, in class, Gerhardt planned on presenting Lee with a plaque informing him of the name change from Leland Monk to Dale Biederbeck IV – a name that he was to permanently be referred to from that day forward. Anyone calling him Lee or Monk would be punished. The old order had passed away. With his acceptance of the creed, Castillo was looking forward to the next steps in the process of converting little Lee to the new. Getting up from his desk, he walked through his office door and into the lobby, turning and locking his office door from the outside.

Adrian saw Castillo and hid behind a standing plant, watching the man walk the opposite direction and go into a room at the end of the hall. Once he was sure Castillo was gone, Monk looked around the lobby and spotted the guard at his desk, still texting and oblivious to what was going on around him. He tip-toed over to the edge of the stairs and slowly made his way up the side of them along the wall. There was a landing at the top of the stairs that then turned into an additional four steps, and when Adrian reached it, the top step made a creaking sound. Quickly, he turned the corner and laid flat along the stairs, being careful to remain unseen.

"Who's there?" the guard asked, walking over to the stairs and shining a light up into the darkness. Adrian watched as the light flickered against the wall and even went just over his head on the landing. But he remained quiet and tucked out of sight and eventually the guard returned to his desk, checked cameras, and then went back to his texting.

After several more minutes, Monk rolled over to his knees, trying not to make a sound. Slowly he made his way over to the wing of the building where they had seen the toddler clothes. He reached the door. Locked again! Fresh out of wire, he looked for another way into the wing. He walked over toward an open window and stuck his head out into the warm African night air. There was a ledge, that he could step on that would probably hold him, but…the drop was at least twenty-five feet.

_"Uh, no."_ he said to himself.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He ran and hid behind a console table that held a vase of flowers and photographs of people that Castillo considered to be heroes towards their cause. In the dark, he remained very still and watched as Castillo's secretary unlocked and opened the door, leaving it open just a crack. He scurried over to the area and looked down into the hallway. He watched as she went into one of the children's rooms with a bottle of cough syrup and listened as she told the child that she was going to take her temperature. This was his chance. Slowly, he opened the door and slipped into the hallway – sliding right past Adele's bedroom and walking two more doors to where he knew Lee was staying.

He tried the door handle. It was unlocked. He slipped inside, and turned on his cellphone light to try to see if Lee could be found. Saying nothing, he walked over by the bed, only to see that the bed was empty. He was beginning to look around when suddenly from behind him, he felt an arm reach around his neck placing him in a choke hold. He dropped the cellphone on the bed as he tried to get the thick arm to release enough to give him air.

"Who are you?!" The man said in an angry voice.

Adrian tried to speak but could not. He motioned towards his throat.

Lee crawled out from under the bed and looked up. Suddenly the child's face lit up with a glow unlike any he had ever had.

"Daddy!" Lee cried, standing up and throwing his arms around Adrian's legs. Lee was crying and dancing around, holding his arms up for Adrian to take him. As he did, a stunned Abeo let loose of his neck. Adrian spent little time worrying about his throat but reached down and swept up his son, holding him tightly as father and son reunited in one beautiful moment. Adrian wept openly into Lee's hair as Lee wept into his chest.

"Dadddddyyyy!" Lee said, in between sobs. While the moment continued, Abeo slipped over to the door and poked his head out into the hallway. Seeing nobody there, he closed the door for privacy.

"Daddy is here, Lee. Oh, my son! My precious boy! Daddy has missed you so much. I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"he cried.

"Daddy…I lub you. You no give me away! You come save me." Lee said.

Adrian looked at his son through tear filled eyes. "What? No! Daddy and Mommy didn't give you away!" He looked angrily at Abeo. "Is that what you told him?!"

Abeo looked at him, "Sir. Please lower your voice. It was not I. That is what Master Castillo told him. But Lee is smart. He knew it was lie. Didn't you, child?"

Lee looked at Abeo. "Stio a liar pant's on fire!"

Abeo smiled. "You are right, Master Lee. He is." He looked at Adrian. "So, you are the father? He has not stopped asking for you and his mother since he came here."

Adrian hugged him tighter and gave his head a kiss.

"My name is Abeo. I am his guardian and protector. I have been trying to call your number in America." He said, sticking out his hand. Adrian looked at Abeo's hand nodded, and Abeo looked confused.

"My number? How did you know?" Monk asked.

"Lee. He remembered. He is remarkable." Abeo said.

"Lee just like daddy!" Lee said, repeating something he had heard his entire life.

Adrian smiled. "I'm afraid so. But, we need to get you to hang out more with Mommy so you're not _quite_ so much like Daddy."

Lee just smiled. "No. Never weave daddy again. We boys sticks togevver!"

Adrian laughed. "Daddy never wants to let you go baby boy."

Abeo looked over at them and smiled, but then became serious. "You are in danger being here."

"I know. I have a truck waiting for me outside, if I can just get to it." Adrian replied.

"I am glad to hear. There are many wild creatures outside the gate. It would not be safe on foot. We need to get you out of here."

"But how? The night guard is on watch downstairs. I almost gave myself away with a squeak yfloorboard." Adrian said.

"Perhaps…" Abeo said.

Just then, they heard a sound outside the door.

"Abeo. Are you in there with Lee?"

It was the secretary. Adrian quickly ducked and hid under the bed, while Abeo had Lee sit in the middle of his bed.

"Yes, ma'am. It is me." He replied.

She opened the door. "Why are you not asleep?"

"Oh, ma'am. I just remembered what you said about Master Lee learning to sleep in the middle of his bed. I came in to make sure that is where he was. Not to worry. I was just saying goodnight." He said.

"Alright. Hurry on. I know you are supposed to be guarding him, but the child needs his rest as well." She said, before walking through the door and heading back down the hall.

"Bayo a pants on fire." Lee said with a grin.

Abeo smiled at him, then got an idea. "A fire. Or, at least an alarm…"

"Now you get some good sleep tonight young man" he said loudly. "I will check the **_front_**and **_back_** stairwells and make sure they are secure so that there is no DISTURBANCE."

He heard the secretary leave through the front hall door and then the tell-tale click of it being relocked.

Leaning down, he whispered to Adrian. "I have an idea. When you hear the alarm. Run towards the back! Here are the keys to that door. There is a set of stairs. Go down the stairs and through the office. It is Castillo's. You can easily open the window and drop to the ground. Then, run along the fence as fast as you can. You will see an opening about mid-way through that will get you outside the compound. But be careful of the animals."

"Okay. I will. But, What happens when Castillo finds Lee got away- since you are supposed to be guarding him?" Adrian asked.

Abeo looked down. "Abeo will have the satisfaction of knowing he did good. Please, get him to safety. Your child is precious. I want him free."

Adrian frowned. "You have protected my son. We're not leaving without you."

"Bayo come wif us?" Lee asked.

"Yes, Lee. We will wait for Abeo." Adrian replied.

"You mustn't. When they know he is gone, they will go looking. Please. Do not worry over me. Just get him out of here." Abeo said.

Monk looked towards the door. "Alright. I will go. But, be ready. We will come for you. In the meantime, please, take this." He said, handing Abeo one of his two guns.

"A gun? I can't…" Abeo said.

"You may have to. This is for your protection. I have friends on the outside. Hide this on your person. Castillo won't suspect that you have it. We will come to you. Just hang on." Adrian said.

"Alright, Leland Monk's father." He said.

"Adrian. My name is Adrian. Thank you." Adrian replied.

"Adrian Monk. It has been my honor. Now wait for the alarm, then run!" Abeo said as he stood to leave.

"Bayo. Wait!" Lee said.

Abeo walked over. "Did Master Lee need something?"

Lee squirmed out of Adrian's arms then walked on the bed, holding his little arms out.

Abeo walked over and gave the child a hug, even as Lee gave him a toddler-style kiss on the cheek. Then, he returned to Adrian's arms. "See you wayter!" he said.

Abeo whelmed up. "Yes, Master Lee. I will see you later."

* * *

Ten minutes later pandemonium broke out in the center when alarm bells began to sound. Abeo actually considered setting an actual fire, but thought differently when he considered that some child might get trapped and be harmed.

Adrian ran like wildfire through the hallway, unlocking the back door and bounding down the stairs with Lee. Slipping into Castillo's office, he touched two lamps, and then glanced down on Castillo's desk, noting a folder with the name Biederbeck on it. He looked towards the door, hearing the running of children's feet all throughout the campus. Picking up the folder, he opened the window just as he heard the sound of a key in the office door. Gerhardt Castillo turned the knob and opened the door, flicking on the light within his office. Running to his desk, he did not notice the missing folder, but instead grabbed a box full of personal items that he wanted protected in case of fire, then turned to leave. Suddenly, he noticed the open window.

"I didn't leave you open." He stated, walking over towards the window and looking outside. Hiding just to the other side of the bushes outside the window were Adrian and Lee. While Castillo poked his head out the window looking for signs of life, a scorpion began to crawl across Adrian Monk's hand. Monk's eyes grew wide. He opened his mouth as if to scream, but Lee slapped his little hand over his mouth, looking him dead earnest in the eyes and shaking his head no.

Seeing nobody outside, Castillo shut the window and ran out his office door to join the others outside. The minute that Adrian heard the window shut, he jumped from his position, running with all his might across the lawn and towards the fence. Feeling his way around the edges, he could see from afar all of the chaos in the front of the building as children gathered. He watched as Abeo made his way outside, feigning that he was looking for Lee. Abeo pointed back inside the compound and shrugged his shoulders towards the secretary and she met with Castillo who began screaming for him to run back inside the building to find the child. By this point, Adrian had reached the opening.

"You ready to go home, my son?" he asked.

"I ready Daddy!" he said, before giving Adrian a kiss in his mouth. And with that, Adrian slipped through the hole to an area outside the compound, and made his way to the truck.

* * *

At headquarters, everyone was waiting on pins and needles waiting for word. It had been several hours, and Natalie had not stopped pacing. She was physically nauseous from nervous energy and had begun to vocalize her fears. Stottlemeyer helped calm her, but was beginning to worry himself. It was too quiet.

Finally, about six hours into their journey, her cell phone lit up. However, it was not a text. It was a call, from Adrian's phone.

Natalie's hands shook as she answered the call.

"Hello? Adrian? Are you okay?" she said quickly.

"Mommmmyyyy!" came the little voice at the other end of the phone.

Natalie collapsed against the desk and burst out into tears. "Lee! Oh my baby!" She cried and laughed at the same time, as Stottlemeyer and Disher stood with grateful smiles and listened to her end of the conversation.

After a few moments of talking with Lee, Adrian picked up the line.

"Adrian?" she said. "Are you alright?"

"Sweetheart. We're both just fine. Protected once again, though I will say we must be wearing Michael out." He said.

Natalie laughed at the reference to a guardian angel. "Well are you on your way?"

"Yes, dear. We're on our way. And what a wonderful reunion this will be." He replied.


	23. Chapter 23

The morning sun had already risen over the African plains near Abuja when order was restored at the Institute. At Castillo's insistence, every person was to gather inside the main auditorium for roll call while the whereabouts of Leland Monk were pursued. Footprints of a young child and an adult were discovered outside Castillo's office window and also at an opening in the fencing, leading Castillo to but two conclusions. The boy was gone, and given that his guardian was completely unharmed, Abeo was an accomplice to the escape.

As the assembly sat quietly in the auditorium, Castillo walked stiffly up on the stage, carrying himself like the finest military officer the Nazi SS ever produced. Solemnly, he walked to center stage and stood, looking out over tired and confused faces whose rest had been interrupted the night before and who wanted nothing more than to be allowed to go back to bed.

It was the look on Castillo's face that changed all of this. Never before had they seen their Master look so drawn, so contorted, so angry.

Quietly, he stepped forward and in a low, cold voice he spoke, almost in a whisper. "Children. Comrades. There has been an escape."

The children gasped and looked around the room to see who was missing. Abeo stared straight ahead.

With an angry quiver in his voice, he continued. "The young child, Leland Monk, was abducted from this facility earlier this evening." His voice grew louder. "His Guardian, the man you know as Abeo, assisted in his escape."

All eyes turned towards Abeo, who remained perfectly calm.

"Abeo. STAND AND FACE YOUR CHARGES!" Castillo barked.

Abeo stood up from his seat and faced the Master.

"Guards, bring him up on stage that all may see what a guilty traitor looks like." Castillo ordered.

Immediately, Abeo was descended upon by several armed guards who roughly grabbed him by his arms and pushed him up towards the stage. Abeo stared straight ahead, defiant towards the man by whom he had once been deceived, but was no more. In a moment, he stood face to face with the villain, and the villain stood nearly face to face with him.

As Castillo rambled on about loyalty to the Wellspring and what happens when one is not, Abeo looked deeply into the man's eyes, into his soul and saw nothing but a dark emptiness inside. Knowing that he had just helped rescue Lee Monk from a similar fate bolstered his resolve to stand until the end.

"Abeo. You have committed acts of high treason against the Wellspring, and shall therefore face the sentence of death, later this evening." Castillo said. "Is there anything you have to say for yourself?"

Abeo did not blink but stood firmly and faced his accuser with all the knowledge years of being in that prison had infused him with.

"Are you not going to follow the rules?" Abeo asked.

"Excuse me? What do you, who has broken every rule that this assembly has, have to say about rules?" Castillo asked.

"Sir. I am simply trying to appeal to the code of conduct for the Wellspring which guarantees a fair trial before the assembly as well gives the accused a chance to make an argument in his defense. Is this no longer so? Have you indeed become a totalitarian dictator?" Abeo asked.

Castillo's eyes visibly twitched and veins popped out on his neck as pure rage coursed through his veins. He took a deep breath and smiled, the same serpentine smile that Abeo had seen for years, the only smile he was capable of producing.

"You wish to say a few words before you die. I have no quarrel with that. Very well. You have four hours to prepare your defense. Children, we will recess until 11:30 AM." Castillo said.

* * *

Back at headquarters, Adrian briefed the group about everything he had seen inside the compound, and about Abeo's brave risk at helping them to escape. He told them of the soulless looks in the eyes of the children and how urgent he felt about the need to rescue them. He told them about how many guards he had seen and about the general setup within the facility, and lastly, he told them of his promise to save Abeo.

Natalie spoke up with a sense of alarm. "Adrian. Haven't we been through enough?"

He walked over to his wife, who held their sleeping son, and put his arm around her.

"Sweetheart. If you would have seen the children, you would know deep inside that to do nothing makes us guilty as well. That could have been Lee. We could have lost our boy forever. Abeo risked his life to give us our child back. I cannot go back on my word." He said.

She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek, then she looked up at him and nodded.

He leaned forward, placing his hand gently under her chin and moved forward to kiss her. She turned her head just in time for the kiss to land on her cheek. Sadly, he placed his forehead against hers and walked away.

A few moments later, Samuel hung up the phone and looked at the rest of the group.

"I just spoke with my friends at the Nigerian Army Council. They are sending forces here from Jus, and also calling up reserves from right here in the area. We will have everything we need within three hours." Samuel said.

"That's great!" Stottlemeyer replied. "What are you thinking in terms of a plan of attack?"

Adrian stepped forward. "Well, when Samuel, Emanuel and I were coming back in the truck, we discussed an approach that would combine all of the military strategy of the Nigerian Army along with the SWAT capabilities of American cities. Give me a piece of chalk and I'll show you the plan."

* * *

At 11:25, the Children of the Wellspring Institute poured back into the Auditorium in order to be witnesses to the hearing. There had never been this sort of disturbance at the compound in most of their memories, so they were uncharacteristically filled with a sense of excitement and chattered back and forth, awaiting the beginning of proceedings.

At precisely 11:30 AM Castillo, his secretary, and three of the adult teachers at the Institute took the stage and sat down in seats behind a table facing the podium where the accused would stand. Castillo held the gavel. Less than one minute later, Abeo was brought in by two guards and quietly took his own seat.

The secretary stood and called court to order, first reading the rules of engagement which included an opening statement by both the prosecution and the defense. After that, there would be a chance for questioning and Abeo would be given the opportunity to give his final defense. After a brief deliberation, a verdict would be read, and if found guilty, Abeo would be handcuffed and walked out to a staging area outside where, in the presence of all, he would be killed via firing squad, in accordance with the rules for Treason. The odds were against him, but Abeo's great plan was to make the most of the opening argument, hoping to never proceed to the rest.

The vice chair of the assembly stood and read the charges.

"Abeo. You have been charged with the crimes high treason, aiding and abetting a kidnapping, inciting chaos, and lying to the head Master. These crimes are punishable by death. How do you plead?" the vice chair asked.

Abeo stood. "I plead not guilty."

The children whispered back and forth and Castillo cracked the gavel.

'ORDER! There will be order, children!" he said.

All mouths immediately shut and eyes turned back to the stage.

"Very well then." The Vice Chair continued. "Abeo, you may make your opening statement."

* * *

Outside the compound, the head of the Nigerian Armed Forces waited with troops directly in front of Wellspring's gates. Within minutes, a Jeep, carrying Adrian Monk, Samuel Waingaya, and Leland Stottlemeyer, all dressed in full combat gear, drove up. The dust kicked up as the Jeep came screeching to a stop and Samuel led his friends to Nigerian Commander Martin Hassan.

"Martin. My friend! I would like to introduce you to Mr. Adrian Monk and Mr. Leland Stottlemeyer. Two brilliant men that I met while in America. Adrian is the one that went into the compound yesterday, and rescued the child, Lee Monk." He said.

Hassan wasted little time greeting Adrian and Stottlemeyer, but instead rolled out a map to the compound on the hood of his Jeep, detailing their plan of attack. As he spoke, Leland could not help notice that Monk's eyes were focused on the car's antenna, and noted that his demeanor was becoming a bit agitated. After around a minute passed, he interrupted Hassan's presentation by saying.

"Um, excuse me."

"Yes, is there a problem?" Hassan asked.

"No. No problem." Leland replied, looking at Monk.

Monk looked up at Leland with an almost desperate look in his eyes, as if he were begging for permission.

Leland looked at the antenna and then at Monk.

"Go ahead. Get it out of your system." He replied.

Monk smiled and walked over to the side of the car. Reaching out his finger, he touched the antenna and closed his eyes as a look of relief washed over his face, and he smiled. Satisfied, he returned to Samuel's side but all eyes stayed on him. Samuel raised an eyebrow.

"Is this another American thing?" he asked.

Adrian smiled. "Yes. It is an American custom to help avoid calamity."

Leland smirked and spoke up before any further questions could be asked. "Commander Hassan, as you were saying?"

* * *

Abeo stood up and walked to the podium.

"Members of the Wellspring. I stand before you today accused of treason against this assembly – a charge that I wholeheartedly deny.

When I first arrived at the Wellspring, so many years ago, I was like most of you. I was able to see the turmoil and trouble in the world…all the hatred…all the violence, and I knew that we needed a solution.

I came to the Wellspring in order to work. My father worked at a school prior to me and his father before him, so it was a natural progression. And I noticed, almost immediately upon arrival, this place was different. Unlike other institutions, there was no parental involvement, as children, I was told, had been surrendered to the goals of the organization in order to save the world. I was dubious of this at first, but watching each of you in your development somehow convinced me that for the future of our species, indeed, a concentrated education in fundamentals such as that which the Wellspring provided, was the best thing for all involved.

Over the years, I watched each of you grow more and more brilliant and heard the same speeches over and over to each new class about how you were going to change the world. But, as I look around this group, I see several adults who were formerly students here, who have not gone out into the world at all but have stayed right here, within the controlling environment of Master Castillo and this board. This troubled me. How were you going to change the world, if you never entered it?

Another thing that troubled me was the change in each of your eyes. In this institution, children are not permitted to be children. There is to be no joy outside of academics. Diversity of thought is not allowed. In short, I became disturbed as I saw the life go out of each of your eyes and watched as you were robbed of your family, your childhood and your humanity. And yet, I remained silent.

Then, little Leland Monk arrived. He was much younger than most of you, but was utterly brilliant even as a toddler. He was brought to this place a scared somber child – and yet, he still had that spark – that spark that most of you had until it was extinguished by a system which emphasized power, control and anything but actual hope.

From the moment he arrived, he wanted to go home. He wanted his parents. Most of you do not remember your parents, or if you do, you have been trained to hate them. You have been told that your parents gave you away. You have been told that they did not love you. Well, let me tell you something…Lee Monk's father, Adrian Monk, visited this facility last night and risked his life in order to rescue his son – whom he did NOT give away, but from whom he was STOLEN by that man over there, Master Castillo!"

The children erupted in anger.

"How dare you accuse our good Master of such things!"

"Traitor!"

"Kill him now!"

Were some of the cries that Abeo was able to make out.

"Order! Order!" Castillo said, repeatedly pounding the table with the gavel until the angry crowd of children settled down.

Castillo glared at Abeo. "You will be so kind as to refrain from lying in your statement."

"It is no lie, and you know it Castillo. You know what you have done. It is the same that was done to you. It is the legacy of Herr Hitler, who had breeding programs and kidnapped children in order to create a crop of future warriors to support his evil egotistical ends." Abeo said.

"Herr Hitler is good! Stop lying about him!" Adele cried out.

"Herr Hitler is evil, Adele, as is his disciple Master Castillo… in FACT," Abeo continued. "He is following the blueprint of that evil beast who indoctrinated children, kidnapped children, had women who would bear as many children as possible all for his sick cause – a cause that resulted in the deaths of many millions and the destruction of much of Europe at the hands of a madman.

They also changed the names of children. Do you know, Adele, that Adele is not your original name?" Abeo asked.

"Order! This is not admissible!" Castillo said.

"No, Adele, you came to us as Angela Schultz. I remember when you arrived, you said your parents were Andrew and Mary Schultz, but Master Castillo wanted to strip you even of your identity." Abeo said.

"And you, Friedrich. You were not Friedrich upon arrival. You were Charles Blakely II. Your kidnapping was in the newspapers at the time. I should have spoken up then, but I felt I had no other recourse than to stay."

The children grew quiet and confused the more that Abeo talked. Their eyes darted between Abeo and the Master, and blinders began to fall for several.

"Are you saying our lives are a lie?" asked one eighth grade boy.

Abeo looked at him. "Lucas, which is your original name, your life is not a lie, but you have been lied to.

Oh, children…it is not a lie that you have within you the potential to make a great difference for good in this world, for you are each brilliant and well disciplined and apt to learn and apply those learnings in remarkable ways. But you will not do it under the umbrella of the Wellspring Institute – which is not a force for good, but an avenue for great evil, depriving the world of some of the best minds it could ever know.

Children. I know that most of your parents have been looking for you for years. They did not give you away. You were stolen. Castillo hid you in Nigeria because…who goes to Nigeria to create a Nazi death cult?

I have not committed treason against this assembly. This assembly is you. And I have only acted to protect you, just as I protected Lee Monk last night, from forces that would ultimately destroy you. Ultimately, the ones who have betrayed you sit over at that table over there. The board. Particularly the man with the gavel. He is the one who has committed Treason, not Abeo.

I have nothing else to say." He said, before retaking his seat.

* * *

The army was beginning to roll when another Jeep pulled up carrying Emanuel, Natalie, Lee, and Randy.

The moment it came to a stop, Natalie sprung out of the front seat with Lee in her arms.

"Adrian! Adrian!" she yelled, just as he was getting into another Jeep about to enter the parameter. He stopped and turned.

"Natalie!" he said, climbing back out of the Jeep.

She ran to him and threw one arm around him, kissing him passionately on the lips then holding him tightly.

"Natalie. Sweetheart. Why are you here? He asked.

"Oh, Adrian. I couldn't let you go without telling you to be very very careful. I'm proud of what you're doing here. But, I just couldn't stand it if…" she said.

He placed his hand on her lips.

"Nothing is going to happen. I promise. I didn't risk everything to save our son yesterday to leave him an orphan and you a widow. Everything will be okay." He replied.

She smiled. "I love you so much!"

He looked back. "I love you more."

"You coming, Monk?" Leland asked.

He smiled and tipped the edge of his army helmet towards her and climbed back onto the Jeep.

As he, Leland and Samuel rode with Commander Hassan into the parameter of the compound, Natalie and Lee blew Adrian a kiss as he blew a lazy kiss followed by a salute back their way.

* * *

After several moments of silence, Gerhardt Castillo stood and walked up to the podium.

"Well children. The prosecution hardly needs to make an opening statement. You have heard from the traitor himself that he indeed rebelled against the Wellspring Institute and is therefore guilty of Treason. I suggest that we commence execution proceedings right away. " Castillo said.

Adele stood, with eyes narrowed and brow furrowed. "Master Castillo. Is it true? What he said?"

Castillo looked at her condescendingly. "Adele, you poor child. You know better than to question what you are taught at the Wellspring."

She took a step forward and her confused look became somewhat angry. "But sir. I am not questioning. I am remembering. I remember the Schultz family. I remember being called Angela. I was very young. But, I am old enough to remember. My parents did not give me away, did they? YOU stole me!" She said, pointing.

Castillo started to say something when another child stood up.

"I remember too! My name is not Abraham. It is Peter. Peter Drew. I am from Dublin, Ireland."

"And I am Yan. Yan Chang. I am from Shanghai, China! You kidnapped me from outside of my school!"

Immediately the children began to speak all at once. Some arguing with the ones who were waking up, some becoming very angry towards Castillo and others shrinking down into their seats at the conflict.

Castillo angrily walked over to the table and grabbed his gavel, pounding it so hard that the handle broke.

"Order! Order! Children!"

"We don't have to listen to you! You are an evil man!" yelled one little boy.

"You are the one who should be tried for Treason!" yelled another.

Abeo watched as Castillo looked towards the guards who moved up on the stage and fired their guns at the ceiling. The children were immediately silent.

"Enough!" Castillo said.

"What was that?" Samuel asked.

"Gunshots! We need to get in there now!" Leland replied, as the team sped up towards the front door of the facility and kicked the door in.

Castillo heard the sounds coming from down the hallway and ordered the guards to lock the Assembly doors, and then whispered something in one of their ears.

He then turned towards his secretary and Abeo heard him say "to the tunnels" as he ran off the stage, exiting from the back of the theatre.

As the children huddled together and soldiers held them at gunpoint, one of the guards ran over to an area of the room where the woodwork was being refinished, and picked up a bottle of acetone. He poured it all along the carpet and on the curtains at the entry to the auditorium and then lit it on fire with a lighter. The entrance to the room was immediately engulfed in flames and was spreading very quickly.

Still holding the children at gunpoint, the guards ran towards the stage and exited out a side door, which led to the main hallway. Abeo and the children were locked inside.

By now, the children were rushing towards the stage and Abeo was trying desperately to calm them down.

"Save us, Mr. Abeo! Please! " they yelled. Clamoring towards any security he could provide.

"Children! Please! Step away. Please!" he said, pressing through the crowd and making his way towards the door. He tried the knob and it wouldn't open. Then, he used his shoulder to bang into the door, but it was rock solid

Fire was now engulfing a full third of the auditorium and the older children towards the back could feel its heat.

He thought for a moment, and then remembered. He smiled.

"Back up!" he ordered as the children watched him reach into his waistband and pull out the revolver that Monk had left for him.

Two shots was all that it took to break the lock and open the door. Abeo kicked the door open fully, directing the children to run towards the front of the building and exit onto the lawn.

As he stood just outside the theatre, making sure every child broke free, his eyes met a certain make-shift soldier who had just entered that area.

"Adrian Monk!" he yelled. "You came back!"

Monk ran up to him. "I told you I would! But I brought some friends." He replied.

Samuel and Leland walked up along with Hassan.

"Abeo. This is my friend, Samuel Waingaya – my best friend, Leland Stottlemeyer and Commander Martin Hassan."

Samuel looked at Abeo. "Abeo. _He who brings joy_! Tell me, man. What kind of joyful message do you have for us today?"

Abeo looked at Samuel and Monk. "Castillo. He is escaping. Through the tunnels. I know where they are. Come, follow me!"

* * *

As the children ran out the front door, Natalie, Emanuel, and Samuel's wife all ushered them to the safe watch care of the Nigerian military. Lee recognized some of the children, and they recognized him.

Adele walked up to Lee and apologized for having ratted him out earlier, and then looked to Natalie and asked if she could find Adele's mother. Natalie smiled and said that they would work to reunite all of the children with their families.

Abeo led the entourage through the backyard and down into what appeared to be an underground bunker.

"Fitting." Leland mused, as he entered the confines of the room.

Abeo opened a door at the end which revealed a long dark tunnel.

"Where does this tunnel lead?" Hassan asked.

"It leads to a cave near Odum Pass." Abeo replied.

Hassan radioed his troops and ordered a group of them to head out that way.

Meanwhile, Leland saw that the tunnels were likely to be a trigger for Monk's OCD and he turned to him to make sure he was okay with going down into such a deep dark spot.

"This guy can never be allowed to hurt another child. I will push through." Was Adrian's reply.

With nothing but flashlights at their disposal, the team quickly made their way into the long dark passageway, feeling the damp cool air of the underground domain and hearing sounds coming from up ahead.

"What was that?" Adrian asked.

Leland stopped for just a moment. "Didn't sound like footsteps."

Hassan said, "It's just bats. Stay low. They won't bother you."

If Adrian had eaten lunch, he would have lost it right there. Nevertheless, he marched on.

A few minutes later, they heard the unmistakable sound of human voices.

"That's them!" Samuel said.

"I think you're right. Everyone, unholster your weapons." Hassan replied.

Picking up pace, they could see Gerhardt Castillo up ahead, being pulled on by his secretary.

"I don't have time for this woman. Either keep up or…" he said, before turning and seeing the warriors in pursuit.

"Oh well. It's for your own good. " he said, as he pulled out his gun and shot the secretary.

He then turned and shot towards Monk and his group.

The team ducked down, and extinguished their lights.

Castillo turned a curve and kept running through the tunnel.

Finally, he reached the end of the tunnel which led to a cave.

He stood, with his gun trained towards the door as the team reached the cave entrance.

"Freeze! Right there!" Castillo said, out of breath, but triumphant.

"Drop your weapons! All of you, now!" he ordered.

Each member of the team set down their firearms, yet they did not kick them very far.

Castillo walked forward, and picked up Hassan's Rifle, pointing both it and his own pistol their way.

"Now back up." He said.

The group put about five feet between Castillo and the cave entrance, and Castillo reached over to the side, grabbing hold of gate that was installed at the cave entrance made of iron bars. He shut the gate, and locked the doors, then laughed.

"You thought you had me." He said, setting the gun down on the ground. "You thought you had defeated me. But you haven't. You see, I was trained from a child to be an elite fighter. I am smarter than you. I was destined for greatness. You are destined to be mediocrities."

On and on, Castillo rambled, as if he loved to hear his own voice. But soon, it was not Castillo that they were watching. Rather, it was the she-lion who was coming up from behind him who had made that very cave the den in which she had her cubs.

"Castillo! Stop!" Abeo said.

"Don't tell me what to do you heinous mongrel! I take orders from nobody!" Castillo replied.

"But…But…." the group said unison, pointing behind him.

"But what?" he sneered. Then he turned around. Then he saw. Then he made eye contact with one unhappy mama. Then…it was all over. The Reich had fallen again.


	24. Chapter 24

EPILOGUE

The party that Samuel Waingaya threw for the Monks was greater than anything that all of Nigeria had seen in quite some time. It was filled with music, dancing, colorful clothing and delicious food (some of which Monk actually tried, just so long as it was recognizable as something he would eat, and it wasn't touching). It was truly an affair that would make even royalty envious as the Waingayas, Obeo (who would soon start work as a manager at a new American Laundry Service that Waingaya was opening up in Abuja), the Monks, Stottlemeyer and Disher all enjoyed a well-deserved break now that the turmoil was over.

Samuel's daughter Ansara played with Lee for a little while, though Adrian was hypervigilant to keep his eye on him at all times - not resting at all until the toddler fell asleep midway through the party, peacefully sleeping with his head on Natalie's lap, clinging to her skirt as if it were his well-beloved blankie. That evening, he would sleep in the room with his parents, who themselves had a little time to reconnect, though the kind of romance both of them longed for would have to wait until they returned home, and they were completely alone in their room.

The next morning, as the limo driver loaded their bags into the car, Monk and Natalie once again said goodbye to their friend Samuel. Even though it was goodbye for now, it felt good to know that they had a friend on the other side of the world, and they invited him and his family to come visit them at their home in Swampscott as soon as things resettled.

"Take care of this lovely lady, Adrian Monk!" he was heard to say. Followed by, "If anything were to happen to her, the loss to the comedy world would be devastating."

Natalie laughed…"yeah, yeah…that's my value in life…Comedienne of the year."

Samuel got serious. "Samuel was just joking, of course. Natalie. You and Adrian have shown me the good in America in such a time that the world news only reports bad. Stay that way. Cleave to each other. You have something very special that doesn't come along very often."

"We know that." Natalie replied. "And…while he makes me nuts sometimes, I guess I'll keep him."

If the party in Nigeria was special, the reunion in Swampscott was off the charts. The minute the plane landed, the Monks were showered with streamers and balloons as they were greeted by Sharona and TK, Bobby and Peggy, Julie Teeger Connors and her husband Travis, Heather and even Ambrose – who made a special trip to the airport without taking anti-anxiety pills. The best reunion of all, however, was when Natalie sat Lee on the ground and he and Abby ran into each other's arms. Giving each other little toddler kisses, they held hands and spoke a few words of intelligible twin talk before Abby turned back to her beaming parents with a smile.

"Good job guys!" she said, still holding onto Lee's hand. "Now you just sticks close to sissy…no wandering off ever 'gain. K?"

"Okay. I not go away ebber 'gain." Lee said as the two held hands all the way out to the car and in their car seats all the way home.

At long last the Monks had peace in their hearts and they were thankful beyond thankful that all had ended well.

Two weeks after they returned home, Adrian received a phone call at the office. It was from the law offices of Wright, Wright, Stone, Logston and Feldman. He recognized the firm as one of the many groups of lawyers that represented Dale Biederbeck during his lifetime.

"Mr. Monk. My name is Daniel Stone. I have been an attorney for Dale Biederbeck for many years. As we were going through his estate, it seems that he has mentioned you in his will. In order to shut down his estate, we need for you to appear at the Nassau County, New York Probate Court next Tuesday at 3PM."

"Biederbeck? I'm not interested in anything he had to say." Adrian replied.

"But sir. We are under strict orders to see to it that you are here. Trust me sir, it is something you will be very interested in." Stone replied.

Adrian thought. "I'll talk to my wife and see what she has to say."

"Very well. You can call me at this number if there are any issues, otherwise I'll see you on Tuesday."

.

The Monks arrived at Nassau County Court the next Tuesday, more out of curiosity than for any other reason. As they entered the room, they soon discovered that they were the only ones there. Taking a seat, they waited for the executor to enter and to read the contents of the will. They could not have expected what they were about to hear.

"_To Mr. Adrian Monk, my arch nemesis, the defective detective, the man with whom I identify more than anyone in life. I leave this . I leave you knowledge, that, while you may not admit it, you are very much like me – cut from the same cloth, having similar experiences as children, carrying with you the same anger and dare we way hatred and self loathing that I have had all of my life - only unaware or unable to express that repressed anger you feel due to moralistic teachings and the lot in life you were dealt. _

_Adrian, I feel sorry for you. You may now have a little money, but not enough to truly cause your inner passions to thrive. Imagine a life where you can have ANYTHING or ANYONE that you wish. Imagine, people bowing to you and fearing you. That is the life I have lived and that is the life I want for you to experience. _

_Therefore, because I am so confident that you are like me, I am doing you this favor. In order to show you what you really are, and to reveal to you that your heart is not quite so pure and holy as you profess…I do this day, being of sound mind and weakening body, WILL to you the sum of $999 Million dollars, which is half of my estate, minus one dollar – just to make it fun. Enjoy, reveling in the dark side Adrian. Your enemy forever – Dale Biederbeck III"_

Adrian and Natalie sat stunned. Had Dale Biederbeck actually just made them billionaires?

Stone broke the silence. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Monk. You are now wealthy beyond imagination. My firm will work with your firm in order to see that the funds are transferred over to your account as soon as possible. Do you have any questions?"

Adrian looked up at him and then over to Natalie.

"May I confer with my wife for a moment?" he asked.

"Why certainly." Stone replied.

About ten minutes later, Adrian walked back, with Natalie's arm looped in his and beckoned Stone to sit.

"Have you made any decisions, Mr. Monk?" Stone asked.

"Yes. We have. But first, we have a question." Adrian replied.

"Yes? What would that be?" Stone asked.

"Biederbeck said that this was half of his estate. Where did the other half go?" he asked.

Stone looked nervous. "I'm afraid that part of the will is sealed. I am not able to tell you. Is there anything else you would like to ask me?"

Adrian looked at Natalie and she spoke up.

"Yes, sir. We would like to ask to retain your services in order to acquire some land." She said.

"Land?" asked Stone.

"Yes." She continued. "We need enough land to build a large building on somewhere where it will be easily accessible to people from around the world. Our thoughts are either here in New York or in Washington D.C."

Stone looked confused.

"Alright. That sounds like Prime Real Estate. It may cost several million dollars." He said.

"That's fine." Natalie replied.

"And once you find the land." Adrian interjected "We would like for you to contract for an architect to design a building for us that will both house offices and actual rooms or apartments."

Stone looked at the Monks. "Okay. That can be accommodated. What, may I ask, is this building and land for?"

Natalie smiled. "Adrian and I want to build a Center for Missing and Exploited Children to fight Child Trafficking and to provide a site for the reunification of Parents with their Children."

"And when the building is complete, we would like the balance of everything that is left in Mr. Biederbeck's estate to fund the administrative costs and running of this facility." Adrian added.

"All of it?!" Stone asked, surprised.

"All of it!" Natalie and Adrian said in unison.

"Dale was wrong. I'm not like him. I may have experienced some of the pain he felt, but I live my life to try to save others from similar pain, not cause it." Adrian said.

Stone smiled. "Amazing."

"What?" Natalie asked.

"First time in a long time. Honest, decent clients! I will take care of everything you asked for Mr. and Mrs. Monk. It has been a pleasure meeting you." He said, sticking out his hand.

Adrian just nodded, then stood up, taking Natalie by the hand.

"My lady, I believe we have a flight to catch back to Boston." He said.

"You lead the way, my wonderful man." She said, holding onto his arm as they left the Doctor's office.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Central China…

Dr. Andrew Chung walked through the long grey-marble corridors of a top-secret laboratory, set up specifically for research and development, specifically in the area of human experimentation.

Using a keycard to enter a side room, he dawned special clothing before entering the sterile environment of Lab number 6. Walking up to the technician, who stood guard, he inquired of the subject's condition.

"All systems are stable, sir. Little to no sign of actual damage to the brain." The tech replied.

"Good. It appears that our quick action has had the desired effect and there were no adverse reactions during the long medical flight from New York to China." Chung replied.

"What do you hope to accomplish? If I might ask?" the technician inquired.

Chung leaned in and looked closely through glass and tubes at his subject and his eyes flashed with an ambitious glow.

"Simply this. There have been studies going on for years about the transplant of a human brain from a diseased body into another body that is not diseased. For years, this was considered impossible, but recent research seems to show that functions previously considered lossed, such as those belonging to severed spinal connectors, can be repaired to some extent. When the technology has reached a sufficiently advanced state, my patient, Dale Biederbeck III, has given this research lab one billion dollars in order to make him the first successful human brain transplant the world has ever seen. With Mr. Biederbeck's money and our genius, I am confident that someday in the not too distant future, we will make the kind of medical history that will change the world. It's only a matter of time.

.

.

.

_Authors Note:  
_

_Now you all didn't expect Mr. Biederbeck was just going to go away that easily, did you? LOL!_

_Thank you all so very much for sticking with this story and this series as it has developed. It has been a tremendous experience!_

_Special thanks to Alex Hoodle, KittyKat06, New Reader, Country2776, Dmander4483, TrixieDixie6 and Guest for your faithful reviews, feedback and help during this series. You all have simply been great!_

_A few notes about the future._

_First, as a result of the informal poll I took a few chapters ago and a little conversation, I have decided to take my stories in the direction of a Monk season 10, rather than an alternative Season 9. The reasons for this largely revolve around attachment to some of the newer characters, particularly Lee and Abby, as well as a genuine feeling by several that they see this as the way the series could have gone. _

_Now that story 10 is complete, this marks the end of what would have been "Monk Season 9." Early next year, I plan to start a new series of stories that will equate to a "Monk Season 10". In between the two, however, there will be a "Monk Christmas Special" that I already have dancing around in my head and am anxious to put into print. That story will probably begin at the end of this month or possibly at the beginning of November._

_Again, thank you all for your encouragement and support. This truly has been a wonderful experience. Please continue sending feedback and reviews. I love hearing from you._

_Until next time! Janine.  
_


	25. AUTHOR'S CLARIFICATION

_Author's Clarification.  
Hello to all who have followed this a few of you are unreachable through PM (due to being unregistered), I'm taking a moment to address you through this chapter. I normally would have put it in an author's note in the next chapter, but since the story is at an end, this seemed the best route.  
_

_I am just tacking on a little explanatory comment about the creative decision to have Dale the Whale will Adrian money. I very much appreciate and trust the early feedback on that chapter and have no quarrels with the views expressed. In fact, Alex Hoodle and Kitty Kat have become two people whose opinions I value highly and therefore, I pay attention to their constructive criticism - particularly in regards to the Epilogue._

_For the rest, who haven't reviewed the chapter yet, I feel like I could have done a better job at being clearer as to my intent in that chapter. I'll attempt to explain here, just to help bring a little more resolution to the story's end._

_At the beginning of Monk, we see Dale the Whale piled up in bed in his mansion, eating corn dogs and watching some politician on closed circuit television. Biederbeck was described as someone who owned half of San Francisco and had options on the other half. In no way, shape, or form is he a good guy or redeemable. But, because he is so corrupt, it is simply beyond him to think that everyone else isn't corrupt as well. After all, he uses his money to buy anything and anyone he wants and people degrade themselves before him all the time. _

_With this in mind, when he gives the money to Adrian, it is his way of attacking Monk's virtue. He has watched Monk maintain his integrity through the bankrupting of Monk and Trudy, through Trudy's death, and through various and sundry things that have come into Monk's life ever since, including pain and turmoil caused by Dale himself. He has seen Monk's righteous indignation and anger first hand. Because he doesn't have the ideological framework to conceive that someone could have an unhappy childhood, find love only to lose it, go through Hell and back and still maintain their goodness, he decides to use the corrupting influence of money, not to bless Adrian, but to curse him. He truly believes, everyone has their price - and, in his mind, that includes Adrian Monk. It might be risky, but if he could succeed in getting Monk to fall, it would be his last act of revenge. When Dale 'died', he already had Monk's son. With the gift of money, he also wanted his character._

_Monk, on the other hand, was exactly as virtuous as we know him to be. Adrian Monk, in my stories, is an accidental millionaire. He doesn't need Biederbeck's money, nor is he remotely interested in it for himself. This is consistent with the TV character in that, while miserly, in Season 4 Adrian was seen as far more interested in the cleanliness of the Police Station than he is in the 'big reward', and when Natalie revealed she was a Davenport, he was surprised but treated her no differently than he ever had. Simply put, Monk was around wealth all the time and it didn't impress him. _

_As such, he never had any intention of taking anything that Dale had to give him for his own personal benefit. He and Natalie knew that Biederbeck was taunting them. They just didn't know with what. Together, they made the decision to accept the money - not for themselves, but to use Dale's ill-gotten gains to bring good and justice for those whom Biederbeck and his ilk had harmed. In other words, their final act towards Dale was to spend his fortune trying to repair the damage he had done and make people's lives better. If it hadn't been for their recent experience with Lee, they probably wouldn't have accepted the money or, if they had, the would have had a bonfire with it._

_Anyway, that was my thinking on that particular twist in the story. Sorry if it fell of the tracks a little at the end. You all are a fantastic group. I look forward to continuing that relationship in the next story. _


End file.
